


Somewhere I Have Never Traveled

by BymagaJones



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-11
Updated: 2013-04-15
Packaged: 2017-12-08 05:01:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/757344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BymagaJones/pseuds/BymagaJones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny’s secret plans for Christmas go awry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my Christmas story, although I started writing it in February, 2012.  So much for being timely.  But then again, look how long it’s taken me to post it!  It is indeed complete and will only be three chapters; however, I’m planning on posting one chapter a day after one final look-through and polish.

Disclaimers:  If I owned any of this show, I’d be splitting my time between houses in Hawaii, Anchorage, and the Delmarva Peninsula, and every Monday our televisions would be filled with Steve/Danny slashy goodness – on cable, because there would be all kinds of harsh language and sexiness.

Summary: Danny’s secret plans for Christmas go awry.

Rating: M, I suppose, for harsh language and slash themes, although there isn’t anything explicit.

Notes: This is my Christmas story, although I started writing it in February, 2012.  So much for being timely.  But then again, look how long it’s taken me to post it!  It is indeed complete and will only be three chapters; however, I’m planning on posting one chapter a day after one final look-through and polish.

I had no alpha or beta, but I did my best – so much so that my research was starting to make my eyes cross.  I apologize in advance if I’ve mixed up the show’s timeline, but just roll with it, okay?  To help you with your footing, I can say it’s set loosely between Chin and Malia’s marriage (s2e14) and Rachel’s giving birth to Charlie (s2e16).  Lori isn’t even mentioned in here; I must confess that she didn’t even enter my mind when I wrote it.

I’m also winging it when it comes to the medical stuff, but I don’t think I did anything unbelievable.

 

On with the show:

**Chapter 1**

“…and see this?This is what I’m talking about,” Danny complained, waving towards the sun as he and Steve walked out of the warehouse, dodging firemen running into the smoldering building.

“I know; you hate beautiful days,” Steve said, not bothering to hide a smirk.

“No, Steven, that is _not_ what I’m saying. I don’t mind a nice warm day now and again. What I _do_ mind is the _lack_ of bad days.Bad guys think twice about doing bad things when it’s cold and snowing outside.You know what they do?They look out the window and say to their fellow henchmen – ”

“Henchmen?What is this?The eighteenth century?”

“…I’m sorry, Noah Webster, how about gang members?Does that work for you?”

Steve smiled and nodded.It had become a game for him after a big takedown; let Danny rant and then see how much further Steve could tweak him.

“As I was saying,” Danny continued, glaring at Steve, “they look at their fellow gang members and say, ‘you know what?It’s pretty nasty out there.Why don’t we stay inside tonight and do something illegal another day, perhaps when the weather’s better?’But here in the land of perpetual sunshine?”

“It rains sometimes,” Steve cut in, leading Danny toward Chin and Kono, who were leaning against Kono’s car.

“A thirty second downpour doesn’t count,” Danny grumbled before returning to his main topic.“What I’m saying is that we wouldn’t have to work so hard around Christmas if the weather weren’t so freakishly perfect.”

“How about a tsunami?”Kono asked.“That’ll keep the bad guys at bay.”

“But it doesn’t, Kalakaua,” Danny said, turning his attention to the youngest teammate.“You know firsthand that it just seems to egg people on.”

“But that wasn’t a real tsunami,” Chin pointed out.

“Exactly!”Danny pounced, his attention shifting to Chin as his hands continued to punctuate his point.“Look how hard we worked during a fake one.You know it’s going to be even worse during a real one.And besides, it means that not only are we going to have to worry about the bad guys, but you just _know_ the governor’s going to need our help during the disaster. So even when this place _does_ have inclement weather, it’ll just make our job that much harder.”

“You’re telling me you prefer snowstorms?”

“I’m telling you that bad guys think twice about committing a crime when it’s cold out.”

“It’s not like they have no crime during the holidays in Jersey,” Steve pointed out.

“Unlike here in _paradise_ ,” Danny used his fingers to bracket the word, “the crime rate drops.We have time to spend the holidays with our families, to make freaking snow angels in the backyard.”

“You’re still going to have your time with Grace,” Steve said, trying to keep his voice even.

Danny smiled, lines crinkling around his eyes.Steve never got tired of seeing Danny radiating happiness and love every time he thought of his daughter.“Yes, that I am.But it’s only because we’re leaving this island.But we’re going to be working right up until you drop us off at the airport, just you wait and see.”

Steve’s smile faltered a bit, but he caught it before anyone else noticed.After his father had sent him and Mary away, holidays had pretty much become just like any other day.And then, once he was in the Navy, he’d made sure to work as many holidays as he could so that those who had families could spend some quality time with them.Now he had his ohana, complete with Grace, and he was starting to remember things, like how spending time with the people you cared about on certain days made that day special, so much brighter.And while he didn’t expect everyone to drop their plans, he’d hoped that they’d find some time to get together, maybe grill over at his house.But thanks to a miracle and Chin and Kono’s millions of cousins spread throughout the islands, Danny had not only managed to convince Rachel to let him have Grace over Christmas, but he’d also gotten a great deal for the Waikoloa Beach Resort over on the Big Island.So now Steve wouldn’t be able to see Gracie during Christmas, and on top of it, he’d have to deal without Danny.But it was only for three days – Steve would drop them off at the airport early Friday morning and pick them back up mid afternoon on Monday.He’d gone longer than that without sleep.He’d be fine.

He was brought out of his musings when Danny greeted a couple of HPD officers who looked vaguely familiar.One was a large Hawaiian man, the other a thin African American.They were an odd looking pair, but then, Steve figured, that’s probably what some people thought when they first met him and Danny.  
  
“Aalona! How’s little Lokelani?”  
  
The large Hawaiian man broke into a brilliant smile as he shook Danny’s hand. “She’s been in remission for about three months now. Her hair’s growing back; she’s gaining weight. She’s already asking if she can start surfing again.”  
  
“That’s great, man!” Danny said, clapping the man on the back. “Aalona and Marcus, this is Kono, Chin, and Steve.”  
  
“Yeah,” the Hawaiian rubbed at his cheek. “We might’ve heard a thing or two about 5-0.”  
  
Danny grinned. “I didn’t mean to keep you. Give Danita my love.”  
  
“The last time I did that, she was ready to pack her bags and move in with you.”

“Obviously, she’s never seen the places where Danny lives,” Kono said, smiling.

“Hey –” Danny turned to her. “I’ll have you know that the hotel I was staying in was pretty awesome.”He turned back to Aalona, whispering loudly, “of course one of her cousins hooked me up, so I gotta show my appreciation.”

Aalona chuckled.“We’d better –” he gestured toward the warehouse.“Your handiwork, I’m guessing?”

“Me?Not me,” Danny protested, hand splayed on his chest.“I just came along for the ride.If you’re looking to blame someone, turn your eyes over to tall, dark, and psychotic over there.”

Steve blinked innocently at the group.“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”His phone rang, saving him from having to defend himself yet again.“Excuse me, I have to take this.”He turned away.“Yes, Governor.”

 

Danny smiled at Aalona and Marcus, shaking their hands before they walked away.

“I thought you didn’t have any HPD friends,” Kono said.

Danny watched the men walk over to some other officers. “I met Aalona when I’d just gotten here, and the lawyers were still hammering out custody with Gracie, so I had a lot of free time on my hands.”He shrugged, trying not to relive those dark, dark days.“Aalona’s daughter, Lokelani, had just been diagnosed with leukemia, so I took a lot of his shifts.”He saw Kono’s eyes soften as she looked at him and uncomfortable, he changed the subject.“So, did you notice Steve’s face when I talked about Christmas?”

Properly distracted, Kono shook her head, smiling.“Brah, you are so mean.”

“What?Steve will be fortunate enough to spend Christmas with the smartest, most beautiful girl in the world at – ” he pulled the worn brochure out of his back pocket and waved it at the cousins.“ – the gathering place of the Kohala coast,” he quoted without even looking at it.He’d had it memorized an hour after Chin and Kono had presented it to him.

“Yeah, but he doesn’t know that.”Chin pointed out.

“He looked like a little puppy you’d kicked,” Kono said.“Why don’t you just tell him that he’s coming with you?”

“Because it’s going to make it that much sweeter when we get to the airport and Grace gives him his ticket.”Danny had already pictured the scenario a few different ways, but it always ended with his handing over the bag he’d secretly packed during one of his trips over to Steve’s house and had hid in his apartment for the past few days and Gracie presenting the ticket to Steve, surprising him with the fact that he was going to be joining them on their excursion.He saw the shy, pleased smile that always came over Steve’s face when he realized that he wasn’t alone anymore, that he was a part of Danny and Grace’s family.There was no way Danny was going to leave Steve alone over Christmas.“Besides, I have a week to enjoy myself, to talk about how the Waikoloa Beach Resort nourishes body and soul –”

“ – with culinary explorations of Hawaii’s diversity.”Chin and Kono said with Danny.

Waving the flyer at them, Danny said, smiling, “So you’ve read the brochure too?”

Chin rolled his eyes, pushing off the car.“Thanks to you, we know it by heart.We’ll head in and get started with the paperwork."

“We’ll get going as soon as Steve hangs up with the Governor.Knowing Evel Knievel over there, we’ll probably still beat you back.”

“I doubt that,” Kono smiled, flashing her dimples as she shook the keys in her hand.

“Was it really necessary to challenge her?”Chin muttered, climbing into the passenger seat.

“Hey, misery loves company,” Danny shot back, grinning.His gaze turned to his partner as Kono peeled away with a squeal of tires.Steve paced, waving his hand, frown on his face as he spoke to the governor.Sighing, Danny could imagine the fancy phrases he was going to have to create on the paperwork to explain how a simple interview had resulted in a few explosions and a warehouse that had pretty much been reduced to ashes.He leaned against the Camaro, arms folded, ankles crossed, enjoying the annoyance and frustration running over Steve’s face as he tried to speak, only to be cut off by, Danny assumed, the governor in full rant.Steve turned a pleading gaze over to Danny who smiled and shrugged, his arms out in a what-can-I-do?-he’s-the-governor pose.Steve rolled his eyes and continued to pace.

Danny relaxed, content to just stand quietly and watch his partner.He knew he had a stupid little smile on his face, one that could quickly turn into a smirk if Steve turned and caught him.

It hadn’t even occurred to him to go to the Waikoloa Beach Resort without Steve when Kono and Chin had presented him with the opportunity.He’d just managed to pull off an unheard-of miracle and convince Rachel to let him have Grace for the entire Christmas weekend – not that he wasn’t sure that some business event of Stan’s had something to do with it, but Danny was getting what he wanted, so he wasn’t going to belabor the point – and was desperately trying to find something special, yet affordable, at the last minute when the cousins walked in and saved Gracie’s Christmas.Through their unlimited resources of cousins, they’d managed to get him a reservation at the resort at a fraction of the price, thanks to a late cancellation.The three airline tickets on top of it hurt, and he’d be resorted to eating ramen noodles for a few months when he wasn’t sponging out of Steve’s fridge in order to remain at his new place, but hell, it was Christmas.And Grace was going to sit on Santa’s lap and have her picture taken in front of an honest-to-goodness Christmas tree, not some sort of coconut monstrosity with lights and leis – how was that even remotely Christmas?

“Three plane tickets?”Kono had asked him while they were running a trace on some license plate numbers, and Danny was complaining about the price – after all, he always could multitask like a champ.

“Well, I’m not about to try to row over there, Kalakaua, and don’t even mention that when Steve’s around.I’m sure Super SEAL would jump at the chance to get there in a raft, but my daughter’s not going to end up shark food on Christmas.”

“So the third ticket’s for the boss?”

Danny rolled his eyes.“Who else would I be taking?”And that’s when it occurred to him that Steve’s coming hadn’t even been a question in his mind.

Kono just smiled at him, her head tilted, and waited.

“Shut up,” he muttered, turning his attention back to the computer table.

“But you make such a happy family,” she teased.

“Who makes a happy family?”Chin asked, walking in the room with bags of takeout.

“No one,” Danny said, a furtive glance at Steve’s closed door.

“Danny bought three airline tickets for Christmas,” Kono informed Chin.

“I guess Steve could hijack a helicopter and fly himself, but he’d probably want to go with Danny and Grace rather than meet them there.”

“You’re not surprised?”Kono asked.

Shrugging, Chin deposited the bags on the counter along the side of the room and started pulling out containers.“Wherever one goes, the other isn’t far behind.”

“See?”Danny said to Kono, then stopped and turned back to Chin.“Wait – what?”

“How many times do you see one without the other?”

“You’re right,” Kono mused.“They’re like Hawaii’s own super couple.They’re… Stanny.”

“Stanny?”Danny asked.

“I prefer McWilliams,” Chin said.

“No, that sounds like some sort of fast food burger,” Kono complained.“Deve?”

“Stop – just stop,” Danny said, running a hand over his face.“We’re partners who happen to be friends.What about you two?You’re always together too."

Chin stopped and turned to face Danny.“Dude, we’re cousins.”

“Yeah, that’s just – ” Kono shuddered.

“Now you know how I feel!”Danny said, realizing as soon as he spoke the words that they were a baldfaced lie.

“Sure, brah,” Chin said, unimpressed, as he handed Danny his food.

Kono just rolled her eyes.“Does Steve know he’s coming with you?”

Danny opened his mouth but then shut it quickly.

“You haven’t talked to him about it?”Kono laughed.“What are you going to do, ask him to go after he’s driven you to the airport?"

“Kono,” Danny said, smiling, “in addition to being a true warrior, you are a genius.That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

“Seriously?”Chin asked, handing Kono her food.

“I have to have something to entertain me while I bide my time,” Danny said gleefully, rocking on his heels.“This is going to make the next two weeks fly by!”

Steve opened his door, rubbing his hands together.“Chin, my friend, thank you for getting the food.I’m starving.”He turned to Danny.“We’re still on for Christmas shopping with Grace on Saturday, right?”

Danny ignored Kono’s see-what-I’m-saying stare and nodded, shoving food into his mouth.

Since then, he’d deliberately concentrated on other things, like arresting bad guys and trying not to catch fire, so he wouldn’t have to think about how Steve had managed to somehow sneak into Danny’s life, entrenching himself so fully that Danny couldn’t imagine spending a holiday without him.“Stupid ninja,” Danny muttered as Steve hung up with the governor and walked over to the car.

“Were you talking to me?”

“Nope,” Danny lied.“Let’s go; we smell like we’re still on fire, and while I might be able to rock that, you, my friend, cannot.”

“I hate to break it to you, but you aren’t rocking it as much as you think you are.”

“Stupid ninja,” Danny growled, looking at Steve.“That time I _was_ talking to you.”

Steve just smiled and slid behind the wheel.

Despite all of the active cases that kept coming their way – thereby confirming Danny’s paradise is actually hell with a sunny smile theory, as he liked to remind his team - time seemed to drag until Saturday the seventeenth, when Danny got Grace for the day.It wasn’t long enough, but Danny couldn’t complain after the whole Christmas thing.And the only reason he’d been granted the day was that Grace had begged Rachel to let him take her shopping for presents for her and Step-Stan so they’d be surprised.Because of his recent airline spree, Danny’s bank account was hurting, but Steve took them to a local craft fair where they managed to find reasonably priced gifts not only for Rachel and Stan but also for Kono, Chin, Kamekona, and what seemed like a multitude of people Rachel and Stan employed in and around the house.Danny sent Steve off on a coffee and juice run, and he and Gracie returned to the tent where Steve had been ogling a painting of what Danny now thought of as Steve’s petroglyphs.After negotiating a less painful price, Danny arranged with the artist to pick up the painting at some point when they returned from the resort.

They got to Steve’s house a little after noon; Danny and Grace immediately headed to the guest bedroom, that was quickly becoming Grace’s room, so Danny could help her wrap her presents.They’d finished and come downstairs to find Kono and Chin relaxing on the lanai while Steve stood at the grill.

Grace ran over to the cousins, presents in her hands.“Mele Kalikimaka!”

“Thank you, Grace,” Chin said, taking his present.

“Very good,” Kono praised.

“We’ve been practicing it in school,” Grace said proudly.

Steve glanced over at Danny.“Where’s the tie?”

“He’s been with me all day but now he complains about the tie,” Danny sighed, half to the cousins and half to the sky.He turned his attention back to Steve.“I’m off duty, just hanging out with my daughter, but I have one out in the car.”He gestured toward the front door.“You need me to go get it?”

“No.”Steve poked at a steak.“It’s just weird, you know, seeing you dressed like a regular person.”

“Regular people – people who know how to dress like professionals – wear ties.We understand that it reflects how seriously we take the job.”

Steve frowned.“I take the job seriously.”

“There’s I-am-a-professional-seriously,” Danny used his hand to gesture toward himself, “and there’s I-hope-to-blow-crap-up-and-maybe-get-my-partner-shot seriously.”He pointed at Steve with both his hands.“That’s all I’m saying.

Steve smiled, shaking his head, and Danny knew he probably had that same stupid smile on his own face.He loved seeing Steve happy, relaxing his guard.And he might rant against Steve’s work clothing choice – not choices, because frankly, black shirts and black cargo pants didn’t require enough brain matter to be counted as more than one thought – but he couldn’t deny that those shirts stretched over his expansive chest and framed his arms nicely, revealing just enough of Steve’s tattoos to make Danny want to slide his hand inside, feel the skin there.

Steve was currently wearing what Danny thought of as his post-surf lanai clothes, faded jeans that molded so very nicely to his ass and another one of those teasing black t-shirts.The fact that Danny even found Steve’s feet attractive – the bastard couldn’t even be helpful enough to wear shoes around his own home – proved how far gone Danny was.

Sighing inwardly, Danny grabbed two Longboards from the cooler, opened both and handed one to Steve, who grinned his thanks before taking a long draw.As he surreptitiously watched Steve’s adams apple bob, Danny reminded himself that this was all there was ever going to be – eyes only.Sure, he’d still nudge Steve every so often, maybe punch him when things got out of control.If he were lucky, he might get a hug or a handshake, but that’s all he’d ever have.Super SEAL Steve was grade A, 100% heterosexual.

Danny wasn’t sure when he’d started to feel more than friendship for his partner, but now that he looked back, he realized that maybe it had always been there, just simmering under the surface.Danny always put his emotions out there; that’s just a part of who he was.But he could usually keep it under control, remain professional.Then he met a certain annoying Navy Commander who immediately rubbed him the wrong way, making Danny say and do things that normally he’d have been able to hold inside.And maybe it wouldn’t have gone much further if Steve didn’t turn around and do things like give Danny passes to a hotel so Grace could swim with the dolphins or turn one of his bedrooms into Grace’s whenever Danny had her overnight.Steve had already been on his way into Danny’s heart, but his love for Grace had sealed the deal.

But Danny knew he’d have to be content with what they had – and having Steve as a best friend was probably more than he deserved, really.He’d made the monumental mistake of going to Rachel when he was at his lowest and had bedded her while she was married to another man.He’d known it was wrong, but he’d been trying to stay away from Steve, from blurting out his feelings in a weak moment.The last thing he’d needed was to lose his brother and his best friend in the same night.

The next few hours passed in a blur of contentment and happiness.After Steve finally finished grilling, Grace ate quickly and then waited impatiently until she and Steve could go into the water.Danny sat beside Chin and Kono, watching the two most important people in his life frolicking in the water.He made sure he shouted out something relatively scathing every once in a while, threatening Steve’s life in all sorts of creative manners if the man even let one hair of Grace’s hair get hurt.He was getting pretty good at hiding his attraction.

Dropping off Grace that evening pulled at Danny’s heart as it always did, but he kept reminding himself that he was going to have her at Christmas.Steve and Grace, all to himself.

They got called in on Sunday for what looked like a huge gun deal gone wrong – and once again Danny felt the need to point out that this was confirmation about the weather thing – the team spending almost all of their time at the office, trying to close the case before Friday.Steve was proud of his team, the seamless way they worked together, although he was worried about them.No one complained, but they were all starting to wear thin, the dark circles under their eyes and the amount of coffee they’d been going through on an hourly basis the most obvious proof.But he also knew that they all refused to put Danny through the position of having to take Grace out of town and leave his team behind mid-case.Danny’d never forgive himself if something happened to any of them while he was away.

Early Wednesday, one of Chin’s informants called him with a tip that ended up breaking the case, and if he’d had the money, Danny would have bought the informant a case of the alcoholic beverage of his choice. They now had their suspects in their sights, the proof rolling in on the smart board almost faster than Kono and Chin could collect it.

“This is what I’m talking about.”Danny slapped the Camaro’s armrest gently, fifteen minutes later, after making sure their approved warrant had properly downloaded to his phone.They were already en route to their main bad guy’s home, but for once, they had their warrant, and Kono and Chin – as well as HPD – were on their way as backup.It was all falling together so nicely that he didn’t even let Steve’s suicidal driving mar his happiness.

The gun runners had just pulled up to the house when Steve and Danny arrived, and they took off immediately.Steve only managed to destroy one car – not Danny’s this time – and a tow truck before they got the drop on the two men.Of course, they didn’t go down without a fight, hopping out of their totaled car and running in opposite directions.Without hesitation, Steve took out after the driver, and after sighing, Danny ran after the passenger.Evidently, the extra physical therapy and morning runs had paid off, and Danny tackled the man on, surprise, yet another beach.The man didn’t give up easily, but Danny eventually managed to work in a good right hook, quickly whipping the man around and jerking his arms behind him.

Danny could already feel sand in places it had no right being, and the man underneath him kept squirming, making it tough to apply the cuffs.“Seriously?I’m sitting here, right on your ass, and you think you can get away?”Holding on to the man’s wrists with one hand, he knocked the handcuffs against the man’s head with the other.“You do realize it’s almost Christmas, right?I almost missed serious family time because you couldn’t just wait until after the new year. What was the rush?We could’ve done this in a few weeks.Now I’m hot, I’m sweating, and I’m going to have to get this tie cleaned.

“Are you anywhere close to being finished?”

Danny looked up to find Steve leaning against a tree, arms folded, legs crossed.“Where’s your guy?”

“HPD has him back there.”Steve jerked a thumb toward the vehicles.Sighing dramatically, he looked at his watch.“It’s only a few days until Christmas, so you might want to speed it up."

Cuffing the man, Danny glared at Steve and hauled the guy to his feet.“Don’t be so dramatic.”

Steve opened his eyes wide, palm to his chest.“Me?You’re the one giving the perp some sort of soliloquy – ”

“Soliloquy?”Danny grunted, shoving the man in front of him.“How do you even know that word?”

“I am a man of many talents, Danno,” Steve said, following him.

Danny wasn’t even about to touch that comment.

Of course they had to go out and celebrate with a few beers like they did after every case, and this time it felt a little more special, because it was probably going to be the last time they were all together outside of the office until after Christmas.Their time off was only for a few days, but they were all used to seeing each other every day.Danny hadn’t realized how much he’d come to rely on his team outside of work until he sat there at the booth, watching Kono laugh at something Chin said, Steve’s head tilted as he smiled.They truly were his ohana, his family.He found that he didn’t want their office Christmas party to be held at a local bar.

Instead of going home like he’d led the others to believe, Danny decided to head back to the office.The least he could do was take care of the paperwork, his little present to the group.He figured if he could knock out most of it before morning, it would leave Steve enough time to sign everything and get it all to the governor by midday – if he could keep Steve on it long enough.Then maybe they could leave early.Danny already had everything ready for the trip – his, Steve’s, and Grace’s bags were already at the door – but he thought maybe he could invite everyone over to Steve’s for an unofficial Christmas get together. _Hell,_ he thought with a smile, _might as well make it an official team building exercise and expense everything_.He liked the idea of taking over Steve’s house, and it would mean that Steve wouldn’t be sitting there, alone and sad, thinking that he’d be spending the holidays alone again this year.Danny knew it would be hard not to just up and tell him about the trip, but Grace would never forgive him if he did it without her being there.

Just after midnight, his phone shrieked at him, and his heart stopped.Rachel never called him this late unless it was an emergency.“Rachel.What’s wrong?”

He heard her take a breath.“Danny, it’s my mother.”

Worried but sighing inwardly in relief that it wasn’t about Grace, Danny sat back in his chair.“What happened?”

“She just collapsed.They’re saying that it looks like a stroke, or maybe a heart attack, I don’t know.”

Knowing how close Rachel was to her mother, he rubbed his hand through his hair.“Shit, Rachel.I’m sorry.I know you’re going to want to take the earliest flight out.How about I come get Grace now, and then we can take you to the airport?”

“Danny.”Rachel paused.“Grace is coming with me."

“Like hell she is!”Danny stood, his chair shooting back and hitting the wall.

“Right now, I don’t know what’s going on with mother –”

“So go over there and focus on her.I’ll take care of Grace.”

“But I don’t know how long I’m going to be gone, and what happens if you get involved in a case when you return from the resort?Who’s going to look after her while you’re spending fourteen hour days in the office?”

“I’ll work it out,” Danny said, his heart thundering in his chest.“Rachel, I promise.   She’ll be safe here.”

“And what if you get hurt?Who’s going to take care of her then?”

“Rachel – ”

“I’m not doing this to hurt you,” Rachel said, “but I’m just trying to –” she stopped and took a shuddering breath, making Danny feel like all kinds of shit.“I’m just trying to hold it together.”

“Okay,” Danny sighed, pressing the palms of his hands over his eyes.He had a pregnant ex-wife whose husband was out of town, whose mother could be dying, and who was just trying to do her best for everyone.“Okay,” he repeated, trying not to sound like his heart was being ripped out of his chest.“Let me at least see you off at the airport.”

On his way out to the car, he almost ran straight into Aalona at the door.“You’re out late.”

“I could say the same for you.”

Shrugging, Danny said, “You can’t imagine the paperwork after you create a traffic jam.”

Aalona laughed.“At least you won’t be spending Christmas on a stakeout.”

“That sucks.”  
  
“It’s all about perspective.Last year, I was just hoping for more time with my daughter.Sure, I won’t have Christmas Eve with her, but she’s alive.Given the choice, I’ll happily sit in a car with some nasty coffee.”

Danny clapped the man on the shoulder, realizing that he still had a lot to appreciate.

“Hey,” Aalona called after him.“Remember to stop by sometime.We just got new pictures.You won’t believe how big she’s gotten.”

“I’ll do that,” Danny said, waving as he jogged to his car.

  
Notes on Chapter 1:  
The Waikoloa Beach Resort is real ([http://www. **waikoloabeachresort.com**](http://www.waikoloabeachresort.com)).  In fact, the quotes that I use are actually from the brochure from their site for 2012.  It sounds like an AMAZING place.  If I could, I’d stay here.  Frequently.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Danny practically crawled out of the driver’s seat and into the passenger side as Steve came out of his house. He could feel Steve’s eyes on him, but he kept his own closed behind his shades and just waved vaguely with one hand. “Jeeves, to the office.” Part of him wanted to smile at Steve’s sigh, but he was just too tired and emotionally drained.

Explaining it to Grace at the airport while pretending it was all okay hadn’t been easy. She’d looked up at him, her eyes large and sad. “Danno? Grandma’s sick.”

“I know Monkey,” He said hoarsely, kneeling down.

“We can’t go see Santa Claus at the place.”

“I want you to take care of your mommy, okay? She’s going to need lots of hugs.”

“Okay,” Grace agreed. She paused for a moment and said, “Santa’s not gonna be able to find me.”

“How about we have Santa bring you a little something there but leave your big stuff here with me so you won’t have to schlep all of it back?”

“He can do that?”

“He can do anything. He’s Santa, right?”

“Right,” she said, obviously trying to sound brave. “But you’re going to be alone for Christmas.”

“Me, naw,” he said, pulling up a smile. “Steve and I’ll probably just hang out at his house and watch some movies. And I promise that we’ll do something special when you get back.”

“You, me, and Steve, just like for Christmas?”

“Just like,” he confirmed.

“I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’m gonna miss you more. Remember, Danno loves you.”

“I love you too.”

Saying goodbye to Grace had almost been as hard as it had been when she’d left him for Hawaii. This time, he knew she wasn’t gone for good, but he wasn’t sure when she was going to get back, and he saw all of his hopes and dreams for a special Christmas disappear into the sky with the large plane.

He’d gotten home at four thirty in the morning, but he hadn’t been able to sleep. He kept reminding himself that at least Grace was healthy and safe, and while he was thankful, he couldn’t lie to himself that it made spending Christmas without her that much more bearable.

Danny immediately made for the coffee machine when they entered the office, pouring a cup and almost burning his tongue as he downed half of it.

“Easy, there,” Chin said, leaning against the computer table. “Kono just made that.”

“Marry me,” Danny said to her as she walked up.

“The coffee’s not that good,” she said, sizing him up. “Why are you so tired? I thought you were going to go right home last night.”

“Actually, I came into the office and caught up on the paperwork.”

“All of it?”

Danny shrugged, topping off his cup. “I figured the faster it was done, the faster we could get out of here. There are just one or two details, and Steve has to sign everything, but I got a call last night –”

“What’s all this?” Steve asked, walking out of his office, his hands filled with paper.

“Danny did the paperwork last night,” Kono said.

“Since, that’s done, do you mind if I leave early?” Chin smiled. “I’m surprising Malia with a trip to one of our cousin’s cabins. It’s just far enough away to ensure our privacy.”

Grabbing a bottle of water, Steve said, “I can’t believe the family’s letting you escape for Christmas.”

“They’re only doing it because they want more babies,” Kono teased.

Danny felt his idea of the holiday barbecue slipping away. “What if you grab Malia and then –”

“Actually, I’d love to go early too,” Kono said. “Ben and I have some friends coming in for the HIO.” She paused and looked at Danny. “That’s the Haleiway International Open.” Danny bowed his head in thanks as she continued. “It’ll be fun to head over and help pick them up from the airport.”

“Sure,” Steve shrugged.

“Since you’ll be here alone, you’re welcome to come hang with us after you drop off Danny and Grace,” Kono said, giving Danny a little smile.

And there it went. But that was okay, Danny thought. He’d tell Steve about Rachel, and they could just hang together. Actually, that could be kind of nice, just relaxing with his best friend, pretending that he didn’t want to climb the man like a jungle gym. They could grill, drink beer out on the lanai, fight about what movies to watch. It wasn’t Christmas with Grace, but at least he’d be hanging out with someone special.

“We’ll see,” Steve said noncommittally. He paused for a moment and asked, “Why are you two still here?”

“It’s your imagination,” Chin said, grabbing his bag and Kono. They ignored the elevator and ran down the stairs, throwing out Merry Christmases behind them.

“Well, babe, I guess it’s just you and me,” Danny said.

“Actually,” Steve looked down at his watch the same time the elevator dinged. “Catherine got leave.” Catherine walked out of the elevator, smiling when she saw Steve.

It wasn’t that Danny didn’t know how beautiful Catherine was. It just hit him in that moment that she was everything he wasn’t: tall, dark, beautiful. Female. He had to stop a moment, close his eyes, and remember to breathe. He hadn’t had to do that very often since the panic attacks during the divorce, but it easily came back to him. And as he saw the answering smile on Steve’s face, he knew he wasn’t going to say a thing about Rachel, about Grace, about his aborted plans for the holiday. Maybe if he’d invited Steve at the beginning instead of being such a dick about his plans, but no. Steve deserved his Catherine.

Danny opened his eyes to find Steve staring at him worriedly. “Danno? You okay?”

“Actually,” Danny said, thinking fast, “I was going to tell you that Rachel wanted to take me and Grace to the airport, and since you’re going to be busy – ” he gestured toward Catherine and managed to dredge up a semblance of a smile, “I’d say it was perfect timing.”

“You sure?” Steve’s frown remained.

“Absolutely. You two just go,” Danny made a shooing motion with his hands, “and have a good Christmas.”

“Okay,” Steve said, “but I’m still picking you up, right?”

“I’ll let you know,” Danny said, thinking no way in hell. He forced himself to watch Steve slide his arm around Catherine’s waist as they headed to Steve’s office and pretended that it didn’t feel like a punch to the heart. Picking up the papers Steve had left on the counter, he wandered to his office and started signing Steve’s name. He’d done it often enough that he didn’t even need to think about it. He barely raised his head and waved when Steve knocked on the entrance to his door.

“Merry Christmas,” Steve said softly.

“Right back at ya’,” Danny said, satisfied with the carefree tone of his voice. He let his eyes wander up for a second, never really lighting on Steve or Catherine, before returning to the paperwork.

He felt Steve hovering in the doorway and would normally have said something snarky, but he found that he couldn’t joke at the moment, not with his heart pounding in his throat. Determinedly keeping his eyes on his paper and his hand moving, he didn’t pause until he felt Steve move away and the elevator ping its arrival. After a quick glance to prove that he was alone, Danny pushed away from the desk and lowered his head to his desk, fighting off the beginnings of a headache.

“Danny.” He raised his head to find Aalona standing in front of his desk. “You okay?”

“Sure,” Danny lied, sitting up and running a hand over his face. “Just had a long week.”

“I hear that, brah,” Aalona agreed. Sliding a picture across Danny’s desk, he explained, “I figured I’d probably have to stop by, so I brought a picture of Lokelani. It was taken a couple of weeks ago, so it’s pretty current.”

Danny leaned forward, looking at the beautiful, dark-skinned girl with the slightly slanted eyes. She looked quite thin, but healthy and happy, her short pixie haircut revealing the impish side to her personality that Danny had witnessed personally once or twice in the past. “She’s beautiful.”

“Yep,” Aalona said proudly.

“That’s an adorable haircut.”

Shrugging Aalona pocketed the picture. “It was tough at first when the hair started growing back; it was just little tuffs everywhere. And she refused to wear a wig.”

“I can’t blame her for that,” Danny said sympathetically. “She’d melt with a wig on in this heat.” He reached for his phone and pulled up some recent pictures of Grace, handing the device over.

“This young lady is Grace?”

“That’s her,” Danny confirmed proudly.

“She’s gotten so big! And she’s so beautiful – she must take after her mother.”

“Gimme that.” Danny snatched the phone out of Aalona’s hands, his smile belaying his tone.

Aalona chuckled. “Well, I’d better get back downstairs before Marcus starts to worry about me.”

“How’s the surveillance going?”

“Don’t ask,” Aalona muttered. “Have a great trip with your little one.”

“Thanks for stopping by,” Danny called as Aalona headed toward the elevator.

Absently biting on the end of his pen, Danny felt an idea start to form. He leaned back in his chair thoughtfully for a few seconds before picking up the phone.

 

Steve shifted slightly in his chair at the restaurant, reviewing the strange morning. Danny had seemed so tired when he’d picked Steve up. Granted, he’d stayed up late to finish the paperwork – and wasn’t that so like the guy to do something like that so they could all get an early start on their holiday – but it was more than that. Danny had seemed quieter, a little sadder. But he was getting ready to go on his dream Christmas trip with Grace, and he’d be far enough away that he couldn’t get pulled back into some crazy case. He’d expected Danny to be floating, waving his arms expansively, unable to hold back his enthusiasm. Sure, he must have been exhausted, but that had never stopped him from being energized when talking about Grace. That was when it hit Steve that Danny hadn’t mentioned Grace or the trip once that morning.

“Steve? You with me?”

Blinking, Steve returned to the present, to sweet Catherine sitting across from him, her fingers entangled with his on the table. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

“What’s wrong?”

He smiled at her. “Absolutely nothing. My team’s safe and off for the holidays, and I have the pleasure of your company for Christmas. What else could I ask for?”

“You tell me.” Catherine knew him way too well.

“It’s nothing,” he insisted. Catherine stared at him, and he could tell she was ready to wait him out. Sighing, he said, “Danny just seemed a little – did he seem off to you?”

I don’t really know him,” Catherine said, “and I only saw him for a second.”

“He was probably just tired.” Steve told Catherine about Danny’s returning to the office to finish up the paperwork. “I get into the office this morning, and there’s this pile waiting for my signature.”

“How long did it take you to sign everything?”

Steve blinked. “I totally forgot about them.” He shrugged. “I’ll go in at some point and handle it. It’s not as though anyone’s really going to be processing them until the new year anyway.”

“What else is wrong?” Catherine asked after their drink order arrived.

“It’s stupid,” Steve muttered. “I was supposed to take Danny and Grace to the airport tomorrow.”

Catherine’s eyes remained focused on him. “Why does that bother you?”

“It doesn’t,” Steve lied. “I mean, I can understand why Rachel would want to take them, but…”

“You can’t say goodbye and Merry Christmas,” Catherine finished.

Steve shrugged. “It’s stupid.”

“He’s your best friend, and you’ve grown attached to his daughter. I’m surprised that you aren’t going with them.”

Steve sputtered a laugh, hoping it didn’t sound as false to Catherine as it did to his own ears. He waited until he’d tamped down the ache he’d felt at the thought of them leaving him behind before he spoke. “They wanted to spend time together as a family.”

“Hmm,” Catherine said, picking up her menu.

“What?”

“It’s just that you spend so much time with them, I can understand if you feel a little left out.”

“I’ve been on my own for Christmas plenty of times; it’s just another day.”

“Okay,” Catherine agreed, staring at him over the top of her menu.

“It’s not like we’d planned anything, and the three of us went shopping on Saturday.”

Catherine nodded and waited.

“But I didn’t give them their Christmas presents,” Steve said, remembering the two gifts he’d painstakingly wrapped himself. He’d found the perfect gift for Grace in late November after he’d slammed a perp against the glass window of a toy store. The first few times he’d seen Grace after that he’d felt an almost overpowering need to give it to her right then, to watch her face light up. But he’d wrapped it and hid it in the garage in a box on a high shelf where it was far enough from his reach that he wouldn’t bow to impulse and would be able to wait until Christmas.

Danny had been tougher. What did you give to a man whose only interests seemed to be his daughter, all things New Jersey, and yelling at Steve? Steve wasn’t about to give Danny any additional ammunition to hold over his head about his former East coast home, so anything New Jersey was out. He’d been camped in Danny’s office, legs outstretched, ankles crossed, hands resting on his stomach as Danny ranted at him about something or other when the idea popped into his head. It was something that needed time, but he’d thought of it months before, so it’d been perfect.

“You can give it to them when they get back,” Catherine’s voice brought him out of his reverie. ‘I’m sure they have presents for you too.”

“Yeah,” Steve agreed, still picturing Danny’s sad face sitting behind his desk.

 

That evening, Danny found himself sitting in an unmarked car with officer Marcus Wright, watching a silent house down the block through some binoculars. Eventually, Marcus shifted. “What you did for Aalona and his family, that was really nice.”

Danny shrugged, lowering the binoculars. “Turned out, my plans changed. I couldn’t really use the trip anymore, so…” He spread out his hands slightly. He opened the file on his lap. “Tell me about the case.”

“Mound Okole, twenty-two, arrested for armed robbery, escaped custody two weeks ago.”

“Mound? Is that a Hawaiian name?”

“Damned if I know. I’m from Maryland.”

Look at us,” Danny smiled. “Two East coasters stuck on surveillance the day before Christmas Eve in Hawaii, no snow to be seen.”

Marcus snorted.

“Wow,” Danny muttered, raising the picture to get a good look at the man they were hunting down. Mound’s name was fitting, the man more mountain than molehill. He was bigger than Kamekona, not an easy feat, his head way larger. His tiny ears stuck out of either side of his head like swollen ticks.

“Is Okole dumb enough to come ‘round his baby momma’s place when he’s being hunted down by HPD’s finest?”

“I’ve seen dumber.”

Danny chuckled. “Actually, so have I.” Sliding down lower in his seat to get comfortable, he closed the file. “So how did you end up in this godforsaken rock of paradise?”

 

Steve sat on the edge of his bed, head in hands, wondering how it had all come to this, Catherine in his guest bedroom, Danny still on his mind. After dinner, they’d gone to a local bar, but he’d forgotten how many times he’d gone there with the rest of his team until Mac, the bartender, kept shooting him glares and Teena, their waitress, slammed the beer in front of him, adding a glower before she sauntered away.

“What was that about?” Catherine asked, picking up her own beer.

“I don’t know,” Steve said, totally confused. “They’re usually so friendly here.”

“So you come here often?”

“Yeah,” Steve said, shifting in his seat, trying to ignore the two pair of icy stares angled his way from the bar. “Sometimes we’ll come here after a rough case or when I run out of beer at the house.” He grinned. “The last time, Danny and I –”

“You and Danny…” Catherine prodded after a moment.

Danny’d come over to watch some football game only to find Steve draining the last beer in the house – the last beer from the six pack that Danny’d brought over the night before – and had lost his mind, ranting through a swirl of arm gestures that he was tired of always footing the tab for beer and that Steve owed him. They’d found themselves bellying up to the bar, Danny asking Mac for the most expensive beer in the place – after checking to make sure Steve hadn’t “forgotten” his wallet again. Of course, Danny’d had to actually make the quotation marks with his fingers as he eyeballed Steve.

Mac had laughed at them, nudging Teena and saying, “See, I told you. Old married couple.”

Danny had rolled his eyes. “As if. His idea of a romantic gesture would probably be to let me throw the first grenade at a suspect.”

“Hey,” Steve had protested, “I can be romantic if properly motivated.”

“Properly?” That one word had set Danny off for a good three or four minutes, giving Steve time to drink his beer and enjoy the rant.

“So they think you’re together?” Catherine asked after hearing the story. “No wonder they’re hostile.”

“No,” Steve said. “It’s just a running joke.” Everyone laughed about their being married, but no one really meant it. And if he got that funny feeling in his stomach every time he heard it, well, he could ignore it, like always.

“Hmm,” Catherine said, raising her bottle to her lips.

“Why do you keep saying that?”

Catherine must have heard the annoyance in his voice, because she raised an eyebrow and said in the flat, calm tone she used right before she started to get angry, “I keep saying that, because I’m trying to figure out how long you’ve been in love with Danny.”

“I’m not – ”

“DADT’s been repealed,” Catherine said, cutting him off, “and while I know that it doesn’t mean that everyone’s going to accept it easily, I also know that a badass such as yourself shouldn’t be worrying about it, especially while working on the task force.” Her voice gentled, her hand pressing against his on the table. “Love is too hard to find to ignore it. Just think about it.”

They’d finished their beers and gone back to Steve’s house, where he’d silently made up Grace’s bed and smiled slightly when Catherine kissed him on the cheek before she went into the room and closed the door.

It didn’t matter if he were in love with Danny – which he wasn’t. Danny had been married; hell, he had a daughter. If that didn’t scream straight, nothing did. Of course, a voice in the back of his head niggled at him, as a Navy SEAL, he didn’t really seem obvious either. Maybe Danny wasn’t as straight as he seemed. There were too many unanswered questions. What if Danny were only interested in women? What if he swung both ways but just wasn’t interested in Steve? What if they tried for something, and it didn’t work? Steve would lose his best friend, and 5-0 would never be the same. No, Steve couldn’t take the chance. Having Danny in his life just as his best friend was better than not at all.

Decision made, Steve sighed, lying down on the bed, ignoring the need to call to hear two special voices.

 

“Merry Christmas eve,” Marcus said, raising his bottle.

“Right back at you,” Danny said, clinking his against Marcus’ before taking a deep swallow. He looked at the bottle. “Boylan’s root beer. Where the hell did you get this?”

“I always make a point of bringing some back with me whenever I go home and try to save a few for special occasions. I also have some of the regular stuff back there too for those who without refined taste buds.”

“Well, my friend, I appreciate your sharing.”

“I figured it was the least I could do, you being a Jersey boy and all. Besides, you truly appreciate it.”

“That I do,” Danny said as his phone began to shriek.

“Let me guess,” Marcus said.

“Ex wife,” they said in unison and laughed as Danny picked up.

“Danno?”

“Monkey!” Danny sat up in his seat. They’d called him at the buttcrack of dawn to let them know they’d arrived. He’d been on his way home from the stakeout at the time, so he hadn’t minded… as if he could ever mind a call from his girl at any time of the day or night.

“Grandmother’s still in the hospital, but they won’t let me go any closer than the waiting room,” Grace complained.

“She’s probably really tired, and you know how excited she gets when she sees you,” Danny said, pulling an excuse out of his ass. “Just keep sending good thoughts her way, and you’ll be able to see her when she feels better, okay?” Smiling at her unconvinced murmur of agreement, he said, “So how are you getting along with your cousins?” They talked for a good fifteen minutes. Well, Grace talked while Danny smiled so hard his face started to hurt, until Rachel finally took charge of the phone.

“We’re headed back to the hospital, but I wanted to let you know that we’ll have to turn off the mobile while we’re there because of all the machines in the area.”

“Gotcha,” Danny answered, knowing that she was aware of his experience in ICU wards. “Call me with any changes or if you just need to, you know.”

“Thanks,” she said, exhaling, and Danny could feel her exhaustion and worry. They’d been together long enough for him to know all that she wasn’t saying. He knew her family, knew she was the one they all leaned on and looked to for strength. He also knew firsthand how difficult that could be sometimes; perhaps that was one of the many common bonds that had kept them together for so long. They’d supported each other instead of having to be the one that had to hold strong every time for everyone else. And even though they were divorced, the need to provide that kind of support didn’t go away; hell, the need to have that kind of support didn’t disappear either. Danny supposed that it was Stan’s job now, but sometimes just knowing that someone was out there was enough. Danny sure hoped that was the case this time. “Goodbye, Danny.”

“Take care of yourself.” Danny disconnected the call and slid the phone back into his pocket.

“You’re on pretty good terms with the ex,” Marcus said.

“Today,” Danny said, smiling at the man. “At this exact time. I can’t guarantee how the next conversation’s going to go.”

“Hell, I can feel fire licking at my ear when I have to talk to mine. But we don’t have any kids, so it’s not as complicated.” Marcus had already shared about his five-year marriage to his high school sweetheart, one that had dissolved in the face of a cop’s schedule, the pressure to provide kids, and meddling families.

A movement out of the corner of his eye caught Danny’s attention, and he raised the binoculars, focusing on the back of the house.

“What you got?”

“Movement.”

“Probably baby momma’s momma,” Marcus said, the older woman being the only visitor he and Aalona had observed in their past few overnights.

The large figure didn’t look like anyone’s momma to Danny, and he couldn’t imagine anyone’s grandmother grabbing a window ledge, legs scrabbling against the wall, the girth making the attempt awkward just to watch. “Fuck me. I think the bastard’s trying to climb in through the kitchen window.”

They ended up going in before the backup arrived, the irony not lost on Danny. But the commotion they’d heard and the frantic female scream made him worried about the welfare of the mother and child, and Danny couldn’t just sit in the car while harm came to them. Winning the furtive game of rock-paper-scissors, Marcus took the front, Danny the back.

Creeping around the house, gun drawn, Danny mentally kept track of the seconds he had before Marcus was going to bust open the front door. He slowly eased open the screen door, his attention on the screams he heard in the house. Thankful that the file had included the floor plan for the small house, he knew the door would open into the kitchen, which in turn opened into a small living room. It sounded as if the commotion were going on in the first floor of the house, so hopefully they wouldn’t have to worry about navigating the stairs during their initial breach of the house. He tested the door, rolling his eyes when he felt the handle turn. He couldn’t figure out what annoyed him more, the fact that the woman had left her back door unlocked when she knew her unstable ex-boyfriend was on the loose or that said boyfriend hadn’t even tried it before his ungraceful entrance. Clearing the thought from his mind, he focused on sliding through the door just as he heard Marcus.

And that’s when all hell broke loose.

Less than ten minutes later, Danny sat on the floor, leaning against one of the walls in the living room, one hand holding his bleeding side, the other holding on to the little boy who refused to leave him. Mound lay dead on the ground, his apparently not-quite-ex-girlfriend holding him while wailing and screaming. Marcus knelt over Danny, pushing a wadded-up piece of material against Danny’s wound.

“The EMT’s will be here in less than two minutes. Hold on,” Marcus muttered, nodding to the officers just entering the house.

“On the plus side, the stab wound takes the focus away from my face,” Danny chuckled, flashing back to Mound throwing him into the wall a few times before Marcus was able to take him down. “What’s the point of these damn things if a knife can just slide under them?” He muttered, having to lift his bulletproof vest slightly so Marcus could gain better access. The pain was just beginning now that his adrenaline was fading, and he knew he didn’t have much time before he slid into unconsciousness. Looking down at the silent little boy with the large, scared eyes, he asked, “Are you okay?”

The little boy nodded, somehow managing to scoot even closer to Danny’s uninjured side.

“This here’s Marcus,” Danny said, grunting a little as he gestured. “I’m going to have to go to the hospital soon to have this looked at, but Marcus will stay with you.” Tears gathered in the little boy’s eyes as he shook his head. “Hey, Marcus is a great guy,” Danny said. “In fact, he might even share a bottle of his root beer with you.” Forcing a small smile, Danny stage whispered, “I happen to know that he keeps some hidden in the trunk of his car.”

“Busted,” Marcus said. “Do you like root beer, Keokolo?”

The little boy looked up uncertainly.

“Marcus, I think this boy has never had the pleasure of trying root beer.”

“Is that so?”

Danny nodded, trying not to pant through the pain. “I’m not sure if he’s ready for the good stuff. Maybe you should stick with water.”

“Tap water, got it.”

“Root beer sounds good,” a little voice said, so quiet that Danny almost missed hearing it over the sound of his own heartbeat.

Hearing the ambulance pull up to the house, Danny looked up to Marcus. “Maybe you two could take a walk out to the car, see if you could find some.”

Marcus nodded, his eyes reflecting understanding. Standing, he held out his hand. “How about we head over there and check, buddy?”

The little boy waited for Danny’s nod before standing and taking Marcus’ hand, his eyes glued to Danny as they walked toward the door.

Danny saw Marcus reach for his phone, and he caught the man’s eyes. “Don’t tell Steve,” he managed to get out before surrendering to the pain and letting it pull him under.

 

Saturday morning found Steve standing in his kitchen, dripping water all over the floor, staring at his phone. He hadn’t really slept well and had gotten up at four, starting his morning routine early. He’d forced himself not to call Danny since his best friend had left, but he figured there was nothing wrong with calling now to wish them a Merry Christmas. He recalled seeing the people who hadn’t managed to get home for the holidays do that all the time, so surely Danny wouldn’t take it to mean that Steve just desperately wanted to hear his voice.

Catherine walked into the kitchen, showered and dressed in a t-shirt and shorts. She gave him a look as she walked to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup from the pot she must have made. Steve was glad she felt comfortable enough to make herself at home, because it seemed he’d become a terrible host.

Laying the phone on the table, he smiled at her. “Sleep well?”

“Like a baby,” she said. “You?”

“Fine.” He ignored her look of disbelief and latched on to the first thought that entered his head. “Kono has some friends in the surfing tournament. I thought it’d be fun to go out and hang with them.”

“That sounds good.” Catherine agreed. “Why don’t you go ahead and call Danny so we can go out for breakfast?” She didn’t even have the decency to try to look innocent as Steve glared at her for a moment before snatching up his phone and heading upstairs to shower and get changed.

After his customary three-minute shower, he grabbed the phone as soon as he was dressed, hitting the one on his speed dial and waiting for Danny to answer. Unfortunately, he got Danny’s voicemail, and he muttered something about hoping they were having a good time before hanging up and trying to put the disappointment out of his mind. Maybe they’d call him back later.

Less than an hour of Steve ignoring Catherine’s smug looks at breakfast and his intentionally discussing old times rather than talking about Danny, they’d found Kono at her favorite spot on the beach.

“Steve! What’re you doing here?”

Confused, Steve said, “you invited me.”

“Yeah, but I knew you were going to be with Danny, so I was just pullin’ your chain, brah.”

That confused Steve even more. “There’s no way you could’ve forgotten that Danno and Grace were heading to the Waikoloa for the holiday. It’s all he talked about for the past few weeks. You and Chin got him the deal.”

“Yeah, but – ” Kono stopped, an uncertain look on her face.

Steve was getting a bad feeling. “Give.”

Sighing, Kono ran a hand through her hair. “Danny had planned on taking you.”

“But he said – ”

“He was gonna surprise you when you took him to the airport. He’d already packed a bag for you, and Grace was going to give you your plane ticket at security.” Absently brushing her hair out of her face, she asked, “What happened when you dropped them off?”

A brief flare of happiness unfolded when Steve realized that Danny had planned on spending the holidays with him, only to disappear when he also realized that something must have happened to change Danny’s plans. “I didn’t drop them off. Danny said that Rachel wanted to take them.”

“When was the last time you talked to him?” Kono asked.

“I left a message on his voicemail this morning.”

“So the last time you actually spoke to him was at the office yesterday,” Kono mused.

“Yeah, Catherine and I left him finishing up some paperwork.”

“But didn’t he say that he’d already finished it?”

“I just need to sign – ” Steve stopped abruptly, one piece of the puzzle falling into place. “He must’ve been signing them for me.”

“Why would he do that?” Catherine asked.

“Steve hates paperwork,” Kono explained. “If Danny waited for him to sign everything, the governor would’ve kicked us to the curb a long time ago.” She shrugged. “So sometimes – meaning most of the time – Danny signs them instead.”

“So Danny’s plans must’ve changed around the time we all split up to leave.”

“But what changed them?”

Steve shrugged.

“What did he say when you told him I was coming?” Catherine asked. “I kind of sprung that on you last minute.”

Steve had to think back. “I guess he found out when you got there.”

“There you go.” Catherine held out her arms in a gesture that reminded Steve of Danny.

“No,” Steve said. “He would’ve said something.”

“Like what?” Catherine asked. “As far as he knew, you had no plans, so he and his daughter could kidnap you. But then I show up and suddenly this other woman is dropping him off at the airport?”

“His ex wife, Rachel,” Kono supplied helpfully.

“ – his ex-wife, Rachel,” Catherine edited.

“And he didn’t call you when he landed, Boss?”

Steve shook his head. He’d been so wrapped up in his own feelings that it hadn’t occurred to him that calling to say he and Grace’d landed safely was exactly the kind of thing Danny would’ve done. Even from far away, Danny would’ve made sure his presence was felt. Pulling out his phone, he found the itinerary Danny’d sent months before, locating the resort’s main number. “Why don’t we call him and find out what’s going on.”

Steve had to admit that he hadn’t really been worried, disappointed that for some reason he’d missed out on spending some time with two of his favorite people in the world, but not really worried, until the resort informed him that not only had Danny and Grace never arrived, but that Danny had sent others in his place. Immediately, he demanded that they transfer him to the suite.

Not ten minutes later, after a brief conversation with Lokelani, officer Aalona’s daughter, he paced in front of Kono and Catherine, confused and pissed off. “I can’t believe, after all the plans and the talk and the rubbing it in my face, that he didn’t go.”

“There has to be a good reason,” Kono said. “And giving the trip to Aalona so he could spend it with his family was really nice. Too bad Lokelani didn’t have any more details.”

After calling Danny again and still going to straight to voicemail, Steve decided that a more drastic measure needed to be taken.

He called Grace and put her on speaker.

“This is Grace. I can’t come to the phone, but leave a message. Danno, if this is you, I’m still at the hospital with grandmother and can’t turn on my phone yet. They say it’ll hurt the machines. But mom promised me that I can call you when we go back to Aunt Nicola’s house. I love you!”

“Who’s Aunt Nicola?” Catherine asked.

“One of Rachel’s sisters,” Steve answered absently, his mind trying to solve the puzzle. “So instead of being with Danny, Grace is in England with Rachel and her sick grandmother.” He looked at Kono. “That’s what changed. Rachel must’ve gotten a call about her mom and decided to take Grace with her.”

“That had to have devastated Danny,” Kono said sadly. “He’d been looking forward to finally spending an uninterrupted holiday with her.”

“Why didn’t he tell us?” Steve asked, annoyed and disappointed in his friend. “I thought he was finally realizing that we’re ohana.”

“That might be my fault too,” Catherine piped up from Kono’s beach chair where she’d made herself comfortable. “Didn’t you say that he was acting strangely?” Steve opened his mouth, but she wasn’t finished. “Think about it from his perspective. He’s been teasing you about leaving you here while he and his daughter take this trip of a lifetime, and then suddenly, his daughter has to leave. And then, when all of this is happening, he turns and learns that you’ve made plans with me. Granted, I don’t know Danny personally, but I feel like I’ve gotten to know about him pretty well,” she shot Steve a look which he ignored, “and he seems to be the kind of man who wouldn’t want to upset people’s plans.”

“But he could’ve told me. Or Chin,” Kono said.

“Chin was taking some one-on-one time with Malia, which is almost impossible given both of their schedules,” Steve reminded her.

“And I was going to see some old friends with Ben,” Kono sighed. “He wouldn’t have wanted to ruin any of our plans.”

“So, then, where is he?” Steve asked. “Kono, where’s he living now?”

“I can’t keep up, boss,” Kono confessed.

“Where were you going to pick him up?” Catherine asked.

“Danny said he’d tell me when I needed to know, made me promise not to look into his paperwork,” Steve said, realizing how lame that sounded. 

“You know how nosy you are, Boss,” Kono reminded him. “He probably didn’t want you to see the bag he’d packed for you.”

Steve nodded, thinking that it sounded like Danny. “He liked to hold it over me.”

“You mean you didn’t track his cell using all of the technology at your beck and call?” Grinning, Catherine added, “ I can’t believe you didn’t ask me for help.”

Steve didn’t look at her as he confessed, “He caught me getting ready to call you, and he made me promise not to make you use your job for personal reasons.”

“Really?” Even Kono looked amused.

Steve sighed. “He wouldn’t leave me alone until I promised to wait until I needed to pick him up to get the address to his new place. It was annoying.” And kind of cute the way Danny would look at him almost flirtatiously underneath his lashes, bright smile on his face. It had been yet another thing Danny used to get under his skin, but riling up each other was a favorite pastime of theirs.

“I’m sure it was, Boss,” Kono said, flashing her dimples.

“That doesn’t tell us where he is now,” Catherine reminded them.

“You might’ve promised not to track him, but I never did,” Kono said, digging into her bag.

“I don’t want you to go into work now, especially since we don’t know that anything’s wrong,” Steve said, hating every word.

“Chin downloaded an app on all of our phones,” Kono said. “I can trace him from here.”

Steve stared down at the phone in his hand. “When did he do that?”

Rolling her eyes, Kono said, “What do you think he does with our phones when he collects them every month?”

Feeling extremely old and lame, Steve answered slowly, “I thought he was syncing our address books and schedules.”

“He’s so cute.” Catherine shared a smile with Kono.

“Got it,” Kono said, frowning. “His phone’s at Queens.”

Steve closed his eyes briefly, knowing something’d happened to his partner. He felt a hand on his arm and opened his eyes to find Catherine standing beside him, looking concerned. “I’m sure he’s okay,” she said.

Steve knew she was wrong; he could feel it. Danny had been off on his own, with none of his ohana to watch his back, and now he was at Queens? He braced himself while Kono called one of her many cousins.

It only took four words for his world to stop spinning. “Boss, he got stabbed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See chapter 1 for disclaimers and beginning notes.
> 
> Thanks for all the comments! They were much appreciated and welcome.
> 
> Boylan’s is real (http://www.boylanbottling.com/).
> 
> As is the Haleiway International Open (HIO), which you can like on facebook (I couldn’t find a dedicated website for it): (https://www.facebook.com/HIOhawaii)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me so long to post. I woke up Saturday morning to realize that I’d left some threads hanging. I needed to fix those, and I was barely able to work on it Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes it’s tough being muse’s bitch. But here it is, not as polished as and much longer than the previous two chapters, but I hope you’ll enjoy it. Thanks for all of the reviews and encouragement and your patience.

Evidently someone warned the emergency room that they were on their way, because Steve didn’t have to say a word before a familiar black man stepped up to the three of them. A large white bandage covered the side of his neck. “Commander, I’m Officer Marcus Wright. I was with Danny when he got hurt.”

Forcing himself to remain calm, he asked the most important question. “How is he?”

“They had to take him into surgery. We’re waiting for news.”

Gesturing toward the man’s neck, Steve asked, “How are you?”

Wright shrugged. “Just some scratch marks, nothing serious.”

“Why didn’t anyone call us?”

The man frowned, confusion evident on his face. “He asked me not to tell you.”

Steve refrained from slamming his hand against a wall, a true testament to how he’d grown as a person. That would have been something Danny would’ve noticed, he thought absently before gathering his thoughts. “Officer…” he searched his mind for a moment. “Wright?” Receiving a confirmation nod, he continued, “You said you were with him?” Another nod. “Report.”

Without hesitation, Officer Wright automatically began to explain the case. “We were on what was supposed to be a fruitless stakeout of Mound Okole’s ex girlfriend’s house. Okole had robbed a few stores, but he’d never actually shot or killed anyone. This was more a formality, because no one really thought he’d be dumb enough to go somewhere so obvious. Plus, Denise, the woman, had made it clear to HPD that she wanted nothing to do with him and that they’d broken up a long time ago over the fact that he didn’t want to raise their child. So we didn’t expect anything until we saw him trying to climb through the kitchen window.”

“Trying?” Kono asked.

“He lives up to his name. A man that large doesn’t fit easily through such a small window,” the officer explained. “We called for backup, but we started hearing disturbing noises from the house – yelling, some things crashing. Worried about the boy and mother, we decided that we had to go in immediately. I took the front, Detective Williams the back. As soon as he saw me, Okole took out a knife and grabbed Keokolo, his kid, using him as a shield. He took a swipe at me, and Williams came up from the back, but Denise shouted a warning, and Okole made him. Williams tried talking to him, but I think Okole was on something, because he wasn’t listening to reason at all. At one point, Okole started to wave the knife around, and that’s when Danny went for it, pulling Keokolo away from Okole and wrestling for the knife. Denise jumped on my back, scratching my neck, and Okole managed to get hold of Danny and slam him against the wall a few times. I managed to pull Denise off me and made sure Keokolo was safe when I saw Danny get stabbed. I had to shoot Okole to keep him from stabbing Danny a second time.

“When the dust settled, Danny was on the ground with a stab wound to one side, Keokolo clinging to him on the other, and Okole was dead. The backup arrived just as I was calling for an ambulance.

“Danny sat there, bleeding, talking to Keokolo, trying to calm the boy down.” Officer Wright shook his head. “The kid had only seen him for about ten minutes but had plastered himself to him. I grabbed a shirt from the sofa and pressed it against Danny’s injured side until we heard the ambulance, at which point, he talked Keokolo into going with me so he wouldn’t see them working on him.” Wright paused. “I got out my phone to call you, but Danny asked me not to do it.”

Still trying to recover from the image of Danny taking on such a dangerous man without him, Steve wasn’t prepared for the pain Wright’s last sentence gave him. “Thank you, Officer Wright,” he said automatically, absently rubbing the back of his neck. Now that he was no longer distracted by Wright, he was anxious for an update on Danny’s condition. As a Navy SEAL, Steve was trained to size up any potential obstacles for a mission and figure out ways around them, and that was why he hated hospitals. It was one of the few places where he didn’t have enough experience, no expertise. He was reduced to sitting down uselessly in a boring room, at the mercy of other people, forced to trust that they would make all the right decisions for someone that he loved.

His mind stopped, reversed. Sure, he was attracted to his partner, the man’s feisty strut, his hands waving everywhere mid-rant. And sure, he fantasized about getting the man in his bed, but love? What did he know about love?

How the hell had it come to this?

Kono put a hand on his arm, bringing him out of his thoughts. “I think Danny asked Wright not to call you, because he was trying to make us happy.”

“How the hell is not knowing that he’s in the hospital supposed to accomplish that?”

“He wanted to make sure we all got what we wanted for Christmas. Chin got some alone time with Malia, I got to hang out with my surf buddies, and you had Catherine instead of spending our time, well… here.”

“Did he think he was just going to come back to work on Tuesday morning and say, ‘by the way, I spent my Christmas vacation getting stabbed while Gracie’s in England, how were your vacations’, and we would let him get away with that?”

Kono only shrugged helplessly.

Sighing, Steve sat beside Catherine on the sofa.

“I’m gonna call Chin,” Kono said.

“There’s nothing he can do. We should let him have this time with Malia,” Steve said.

Kono leveled a look at him. “That’s the kind of thinking that got Danny into this mess. Chin deserves to know.”

Steve couldn’t argue. “Let’s wait until we find out something definitive first.”

Kono nodded and dragged over a chair.

Officer Wright knelt beside Steve. “I know you’re pissed at him, and obviously I don’t know him as well as you do, but he gave his trip to my partner. His family’s had a rough time of it lately.”

“Lokelani’s in remission?”

Marcus nodded. “She is now, but it’s been tough on the family both financially and emotionally. This trip was just what they needed, and there’s no way they could’ve afforded something like that on top of the hospital bills. I’m sorry Danny’s missed out on time with his daughter; I’ve been in the car when they’ve talked, so I know how crazy he is about her. But he did a good thing for my partner.”

Snorting, Steve muttered, “thinking of everyone else instead of his own damn self.” He refused to admit that he was a little proud of Danny’s thoughtfulness.

Standing, the officer said, “Now that you’re here, I’m going to head over to the precinct and write up my report. I’d appreciate it if you kept me posted on his condition.”

“We’ll call you when we hear something,” Kono promised as she, Catherine, and Steve stood, each shaking the man’s hand before he left.

Steve spent the next thirty minutes alternating between anger, frustration, worry, and a reluctant pride for his partner. He knew he should be used to conflicting feelings for the man – every day Danny seemed to inspire most of those thoughts in him – but the worry, the helplessness, he didn’t know how to handle. How was he supposed to protect Danny if he didn’t even know where he was? He turned to Kono. “Next week, we’re all getting implanted with tracking devices.”

Catherine looked like she couldn’t decide if she were horrified or amused. “Like a dog?”

Kono just grinned. “I want to be there when you tell Danny.”

Steve thought a moment, scratching his chin. It would be a tough sell. “We might have to get him while he’s sleeping.” He brightened. “Maybe we could just do it now, while he’s still unconscious.”

“Like a dog and without his permission?”

“Full immunity and means,” Steve reminded Catherine. “I need Danno safe.”

Catherine stood in front of him, hands on his arms. “You thought he was at the resort; he’d told you he was going to the resort. How would a chip have changed anything that happened?”

A burst of anger bubbled in his chest, threatening to spill over. “You don’t get it!” He snapped, turning away from her.

“I’m going to get us some drinks,” Kono muttered, slipping out of the room.

“I think I do get it,” Catherine said, her voice still calm. “I think that you’re scared he’s going to die without ever knowing how special he is to you, and I think you’re angry because somewhere in that head of yours you think you can somehow figure out how to control the world. But I have to say that out of everything I’ve ever heard you say about Danny, I’ve never heard one real instance where you controlled him.”

Steve couldn’t stop a small smile. “He’s a force of nature.”

“And he’s strong, right?” Catherine returned to the sofa, pulling Steve down beside her.

Steve nodded. After a few seconds, he gently bumped Catherine with his shoulder. “He bought me a ticket to go with them.” A sliver of hope began to break through all of the worry. Maybe he meant more to Danny than he’d ever hoped.

Catherine bumped him back, shaking her head and giving him a small smile.

An older, grey-haired man in scrubs came through the door. “Family of Danny Williams?”

Steve shot off the sofa. “Here. I’m his partner.”

“Dr. Malajandro.” The doctor gave Steve a look over his glasses before saying, “Are you his emergency contact?”

“I am,” Steve said without pause. Actually, he had no idea. This was the first time Danny had gotten hurt and been taken to the hospital without another member of 5-0 with him, so the question had never really come up before. Feeling Kono step to his side, he made a mental note to check on that at some point and promptly returned his attention to the doctor. “How is he?”

“He’ll be fine, barring any further complications.” The man took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. He started talking about the knife that managed to find its way underneath the bottom of Danny’s vest to an artery, about the surgery Danny’d had the night before, about the complications and the bleed they’d found and managed to stop in Danny’s second surgery. The most important news was that Danny would survive. Steve took in all of the details to worry about later. “When can we see him?”

“He’s in recovery now. We’ll take him back to his room in about two hours, and you can see him then, but no more than one person at a time. The nurse’ll have his room number for you.”

“Thanks, Doc,” Steve said, feeling his shoulders relax slightly.

“Can I go call Chin now, Boss?” Kono asked.

“Yeah – and could you call Officer Wright as well? Make sure to tell Chin that we can keep him posted from here. He doesn’t need to cut his time with Malia short.”

“Sure,” Kono said, giving him a look.

He half-shrugged in response. They both knew Chin and Malia would arrive as soon as they possibly could, even if Danny were being released within the hour. He felt Catherine’s hand on his shoulder and turned to her, his mind already back on Danny.

She handed him a cup of tea. “Here. Drink it while it’s hot.”

“Thanks,” he said, taking the cup but not drinking. He wasn’t thirsty or hungry but figured having something in his hands might keep them occupied.

It took Chin and Malia slightly more than ninety minutes to arrive, 5-0 minus one and plus two gathered into a circle to share intel on their injured team member. They used their wait to take care of business: Steve made a few phone calls – he didn’t leave a message on Rachel or Grace’s phones, deciding to wait to tell them anything until he’d conferred with Danny. After all, there was nothing they could do from so far away, and Rachel already had enough on her plate with her mother. He also called Danny’s parents to brief them and let them know that Danny was okay, promising to look after him personally. Kono had run over to the crime scene, and Chin had made some calls of his own while Malia had driven them back into town.

“Kono, what’d you find out?”

Kono recounted the report Officer Wright had given to update Chin and Malia before adding, “the little boy is scared and a bit traumatized, but he seems to be doing okay. Unfortunately, his mother’s angry that her man got killed and is blaming Danny for it.”

“Didn’t Officer Wright say that she told HPD –”

“Evidently, seeing her ex climb through her kitchen window, hold a knife on her kid, and stab a cop reminded her of why she fell in love with him in the first place,” Kono said sarcastically, answering Chin’s question before he could finish it.

“It’s been two hours,” Steve said, looking at his watch for what felt like the fiftieth time since they’d spoken to the doctor. Striding over to the nurse’s station, he opened his mouth.

“He’s in room 322,” the nurse said, giving him a smile. “He should be settled in by the time you get there.”

“Thank you,” Steve whispered, throwing her a smile and heading to the elevators, his group in tow.

On the third floor, they rounded the corner and ran into Dr. Malajandro exiting the room. The man looked at them over his glasses. “He’s resting comfortably, and I want to keep it that way. Only one person at a time.” He seemed to make a point of staring at Steve. “I don’t want him excited.”

Steve tried to look innocent, raising his hands. “No excitement. Got it.”

With one last look, the doctor nodded and walked past them.

 

Danny floated back to consciousness, the sound of mumbling like bees in his ear. He strained to make out words, the voices sounding vaguely familiar.

“… cannot…implant… dog.” A woman’s voice, one he couldn’t quite place.

“…can’t…permission..” Chin.

“The doctor…not…legal…” Kono.

“…own good…” Steve.

Why was everyone in his apartment? How could they all fit in it? Why were they arguing? Deciding he was just too tired to sort it out, he let himself fall back under.

He awoke to more muttering, and this time he felt a little more aware. “Whispering usually means using your inside voice,” Danny said, his voice coming out all scratchy. He opened his eyes, which was unusually difficult, and found that he wasn’t in his apartment at all. “Wh’appened?” He tried not to cough, worried it would set off all kinds of pain that he felt hovering in the background.

Steve suddenly appeared beside him, hand on his arm. “Welcome back.”

“Where’d I go?”

“Turns out, not to Waikoloa Beach Resort.”

It all returned in a flash: Rachel’s mother, the goodbye at the airport, Chin and Kono’s holiday plans, Catherine, the stakeout, getting thrown against a wall and stabbed – He sat up, the sudden pain in his side forcing him to close his eyes and lay back down.

“Easy, Danno,” Steve said, helping Danny relax.

“How’s…” he had to search his memory for a moment before it settled on the correct name. “Keokolo?”

Kono stepped into his line of vision. “He’s scared but okay.” She looked at Steve.

Danny figured that they’d probably already talked to Marcus and gotten the entire story, which, judging by Steve’s face, he was going to have to explain.

“Hey, brah,” Chin said stepping beside Kono and laying a hand on Danny’s leg. “When did you decide to moonlight with HPD for the holidays?”

Danny tried to smile, but the pain in his side and his sudden exhaustion left it a bit weak. “I suddenly had all this time on my hands…” It felt strange not being able to gesture. A tickle in his throat had him trying not to cough.

Suddenly a cup and straw were thrust in front of his face, and he took a long sip of water. Afterwards, he sighed, feeling a little better. “What’s with the face?”

“You’re not even looking at me,” Steve muttered, placing the cup to the side.

“Babe, I don’t have to see you to recognize your aneurism face.” Danny gingerly tested out a large sigh, the pain in his side only letting him get so far. “What’d the doctor say?”

“You’ll be fine, but you’re gonna have to take it easy for a while.”

Unsurprised, Danny nodded, his eyes closing. Another thought had them opening and shooting to Steve’s. “You didn’t call Rachel or Grace?”

“I called,” Steve admitted, and Danny’s heart started to pound, only easing when he continued, “but I didn’t leave a message.”

“Good,” Danny sighed, relaxing. “Rachel’s got enough to deal with right now, and there’s nothing they could do anyway.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Steve asked.

“I was going to –”

“When? After the holidays?”

“That last day,” Chin said, hand on Steve’s arm. “That’s what you were gonna say right before we left?”

Damn Chin and his zen-like insight. Swallowing – and even that still hurt a little – Danny said, “There was no reason for everyone to ruin their plans –”

“They didn’t have to be ruined,” Steve insisted.

Danny threw him a look.

“What?”

“Call me a prude, but being a third wheel on a sex date with Catherine just isn’t appropriate.”

“What? No, that’s not –”

“Malia and Chin are still in their honeymoon phase, and they need to get on with that whole baby thing for the family.”

“You could’ve come to the HIO,” Kono offered.

“I’m sure you and Ben have lots of great stories from your circuit days or whatever,” Danny chanced waving a hand and stopped when he felt a sharp pain, “but tagging along like your bachelor great uncle Carmine from the mainland wouldn’t have been fun. For anyone.” He closed his eyes, resting for a moment.

When he opened them, he found the room empty except for Steve, who was sitting in a chair beside the bed, entranced at an article he was reading in a magazine. For a moment Danny just lay there, watching the intent look on Steve’s face, wondering how in the world even that expression caused him to want to slip off the bed and onto Steve’s lap. What a reception that would make, he chided himself. At least it was better than that open smile of Steve’s that lit up his entire face and made Danny want to grab him and never let go.

He must’ve made some sort of noise, because Steve looked up, slow smile spreading across his face, and yeah, there it was. “How’re you feeling?”

The pounding in the side of his face echoing his heartbeat gave Danny pause. “Probably better than I look.” He cleared his voice, and Steve was right there again with the water. After drinking his fill, Danny smiled, feeling only one side of his mouth actually following direction, “Thanks, you make a very good servant.”

Steve rolled his eyes, putting down the water and reseating himself. After a moment, he rested his forearms on his thighs and leaned close, his eyes intent. Danny just knew he wasn’t going to like what was going to come next. “Officer Wright said you asked him not to call me.”

Danny closed his eyes for a moment, trying to clear his mind. “I just wanted – you haven’t had many good Christmases in the past. I know this. I figured the least I could do was let you have one with Catherine. After all,” he said with a smile he didn’t feel, “you’re not a doctor, so you didn’t need to be here.” What went unsaid was how comforted he’d felt waking up to find his team, Steve, in the room.

Grabbing hold of Danny’s arm, Steve said, eyes intent. “We needed to be here. I needed to be here.”

Danny’s eyes searched Steve’s as he tried to see if there were really something more than just concern for a friend and partner, hoping that it wasn’t just wishful thinking on his part.

“Look who’s awake,” Kono said as she and Chin entered the room, and with that, the spell was broken.

 

“How’s it lookin’, Doc?” Danny smiled at Dr. Malajandro as the man checked Danny’s side.

“It’s healing well,” the Doctor admitted. He’d spent the past three days consistently threatening Danny’s teammates with banishment and Steve in particular with bodily harm using unsterile medical equipment, certain that they’d set back Danny’s progress. What the doctor had failed to realize, and what Steve knew, was that Danny needed the comfort of his ohana. This was why Steve left the hospital to shower, change, and go for a swim only when either Kono or Chin was there to take his place. It was also why Steve had made it clear to the doctor that he’d personally monitor Danny’s progress from his house once Danny was released. Of course, Danny didn’t know it yet, but Steve figured if he handled it correctly, Danny wouldn’t even notice that Steve had taken over his life until he was already installed on the lanai, ice tea in hand, too relaxed to put up much of an argument. Then Steve would do what he’d resolved after watching Danny lie in that hospital bed; he was going to man up and step right beside the pink elephant that had been in the room for way too long and admit to Danny that he’d fallen in love with the loudmouthed New Jersey transplant from almost the first moment they’d met. After learning about Danny’s initial holiday plans, he was hoping his partner felt the same about him.

The fact that Steve wasn’t planning on letting him go ever again would be a conversation for another day.

“So he’s ready?”

Dr. Malajandro glared over his glasses at Steve, as he always did. “Yes, providing you do everything we talked about.”

“Scout’s honor,” Steve said, raising his hand.

Danny snorted. “When were you ever a scout? I’ve heard about your nonclassified Army exploits – ”

“Navy, Danno, Navy.”

Waving the hand on his good side dismissively, Danny continued, “ – but I’ve never heard anything about your being a scout. Scouts don’t blow shit up, so I can’t imagine you’d even be interested.”

Ignoring Danny for the time being, Steve focused on the doctor. “I have everything set up, and we’ll be here for his follow-up in two days.”

“Wait, what?” Danny looked between the two men on either side of his bed. He poked his chest with both hands. “I’m right here.”

“Of course you are,” Steve said, patting Danny’s arm while he stared down the doctor.

Eventually, Dr. Malajandro sighed. “I’ll have them prepare the paperwork.”

Steve nodded, watching the man walk out of the room.

Danny barely waited a moment before turning to Steve. “What the fuck was that?”

“What was what?” Steve opened his eyes wide, going for innocence.

“The talking over me thing. The talking with the doctor about me like I’m not… here.” The anger and hurt in Danny’s voice rang in every word.

Steve’s resolve weakened, and he automatically went on the offensive, folding his arms, finally getting to the conversation that he’d allowed Danny to continue to sidestep the last few days. “How about you explain the whole asking Officer Wright not to call me after you’d gotten hurt thing.”

“Oh no,” Danny growled, folding his arms as well, only to start swinging them again. “I already explained all that. Besides, I got stabbed in the side, and as far as I know, I didn’t suffer any brain damage from being repeatedly shoved into a wall.” He eyes glazed over for a moment. “Although that was one huge fucker.”

Steve sighed as he sat on the side of Danny’s bed. “When I heard you’d been hurt, all I could think was that…” He bowed his head as he held back unexpected tears and tried to find the words. “Shit. I suck at this.” He felt Danny’s hand curl around his and was comforted. And encouraged enough to try again. He turned and found Danny’s eyes. “We have a lot to talk about. How about we wait until we get home?”

Danny paused, and Steve felt something squeezing at his heart. Maybe he’d gotten it all wrong. “Why don’t you just drop me off at my place?”

“You need someone to take care of you,” Steve growled, anger and hurt rising. It was one thing for Danny not to share his feelings, but Steve wasn’t about to let his best friend stay alone in his new shithole just after getting out of the hospital. “How can you even think that I’d leave you alone?”

Danny squeezed Steve’s hand, but he suddenly seemed fascinated with something on the floor. “I appreciate everything, but I’ve already screwed up your Christmas. I’m sure Catherine only has a limited amount of time before she has to report back –”

Relief surged through Steve, and he relaxed a bit. “Catherine left three days ago.”

“Shit, I’m sorry.”

Ducking to grab Danny’s gaze, Steve said, “Danny, it’s fine. We had a nice visit; she’s a good friend.” Danny didn’t look convinced, and Steve mentally added that to the conversation he needed to have with Danny. This wasn’t the time for that, so he tried to lighten the situation. “Look, the house is ready for you. Just let me do my thing, okay?”

“Sure, Babe,” Danny said, squeezing his hand. “Or we could just grab a couple of beers and pretend that none of this ever happened.”

“Kind of hard to do with your injury,” Steve pointed out, refusing to take the easy way out. Not this time. There were things that needed to be said, and Steve was damned if he let Danny go much longer without knowing how he felt. He was still nervous about the fallout, but he realized that Catherine was right. He’d never felt for anyone the way he felt for Danny, and he wasn’t going to take that for granted anymore. Danny stared at him silently for a few seconds, and Steve fought the urge to shift. “Let’s just get you home first, okay?”

Danny nodded, looking a little curious and hesitant, but Steve just ignored him as the nurse arrived with the paperwork and a wheelchair.

 

What energy Danny’d felt that morning had pretty much disappeared by the time he’d finished with his final check up and the whole getting him into the car process. His feet had barely touched the ground, yet he found himself cold and clammy, his side aching, as he sat in the car.

“You okay?”

“Hmm,” Danny said, his eyes closed, head against the window in just the perfect position so the weight wasn’t resting on any of his bruises. Normally he’d be yelling at Steve for deciding that Danny would stay with him while he recuperated (“you can’t just ask a person?”), but he knew his partner. Steve might have the emotional maturity of a tse tse fly, but his protective instincts were as natural to him as breathing, swimming fifty miles every morning, and unlocking a door with a grenade. If anyone else had gone toe-to-toe with Dr. Malajandro like Steve had, Danny would’ve seen it as a sign that maybe there were stronger feelings than just friendship. But with Steve, he just didn’t know. Maybe this was one of those manifestations of no man left behind, or perhaps Steve just felt guilty for not being there when Danny had gotten hurt. So as quickly as the warmth had spread through his chest at the thought of Steve’s caring so much, Danny had squelched it. Folded it into his hands, crushed it into a ball, dropped it to the ground, and stomped it with his feet. He reminded himself that Steve had just spent time with Catherine, his friends-with-benefits. His female friends with benefits who’d somehow disappeared. He decided to look at the bright side. He was alive, and he was spending some time with his best friend. Sure, he’d spent his Christmas unconscious and in the hospital, but he hadn’t been with Grace or Steve anyway. There was always next year, he supposed.

He felt the car screech to a stop, not bothering to crack his eyes open as he felt Steve’s palm rest gently against his face. “I’m going to go in and fill your prescriptions. I’ll be right back.”

He waited until he heard the car door close before smiling slightly, enjoying the warm imprint left behind on his cheek.

 

After making sure that Danny had taken his pills and drunk down a quarter of the water he’d also purchased in the drug store, Steve drove home, trying to make the ride as smooth as possible. At every light he turned and checked the slow rise and fall of Danny’s chest.

After the third light, Danny slurred, eyes still closed, “Not going anywhere, you goof,” adjusting his head against the window.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“It’s your face.”

“Your eyes are closed,” Steve protested.

“I know you.”

Steve couldn’t help the smile that spread over his face at the rightness of the conversation, Danny snarking at him, his playing blameless. For the first time since hearing that Danny had been admitted to Queens, Steve felt the tension ease from his shoulders. He continued to peek across the car at every red light, his focus now trained on the slight smile he saw on his partner’s face.

Getting Danny into the house was a bit of a chore; the meds’d had time to fully kick in, and Danny didn’t seem interested in helping much. Steve had the arm from Danny’s good side over his shoulders, but unfortunately, Danny’s wound was too close to where Steve would’ve reached around and grabbed for additional stability. He was forced to slide his hand under Danny’s other armpit and do his best to guide the lurching, panting man. “For such a little guy, you’re damn heavy.”

Danny’s free hand twitched, and Steve waited for the emergence of his middle finger, but he couldn’t seem to get the energy to raise it. Worried at how much the trip home had taken out of his partner, Steve quickly unlocked the door and disabled the alarm. Danny leaned toward the living room, but Steve pulled him gently toward the stairs. “Let’s get you settled in the bedroom; that way you won’t have to force yourself up there later.”

“But the cable’s down here,” Danny said, the pain in his voice tainted by a slight whine.

Steve remained silent, forcing Danny up the stairs. Danny veered toward the guest bedroom, but once again, Steve held fast. “You’re going in my room.” He waited, holding his breath but trying to look nonchalant, like having this man in his bed wasn’t such a big deal, like his heart was only pounding so hard because he was helping his best friend up the stairs.

Danny’s head rolled back as he made eye contact with Steve, just staring silently for a few seconds. Steve stared back, hoping that for once, Danny wasn’t seeing through him. Eventually, Danny sighed. “Yeah, okay. Thanks.”

Steve exhaled silently as he led Danny into his bedroom and sat him on the bed. He tried not to hover, but Danny just sat there, head down, unmoving. At a loss, Steve bit his lip before asking, “You need help?” He stepped closer, his hands reaching out.

After a quick inhalation, Danny raised his head and held out a hand. “I got it, thanks.”

“Uh, okay.” Steve looked around the room, desperate for a task. “I’ll get your stuff from the car, then.” It took no time at all to grab Danny’s meds and the bag from the hospital, and he took the stairs two at a time, eager for proof that he now had Danny safe in his bed. Turning into the room, he said, “I didn’t ask what you wanted for lun- ”

He broke off when he saw Danny, who’d fallen back from his seated position and lay asleep fully clothed, feet still dangling off the side of the bed.

“Danno,” Steve sighed, staring at the pale face of the man he was finally admitting that he loved. Dropping Danny’s stuff at the door, he gently pulled off Danny’s clothes, keeping on his boxers. He eased Danny’s body up the bed and threw a light blanket over him before dropping into a chair and breathing a huge sigh of relief that Danny had made it out of the hospital and was now lying, safe and sound, where he was meant to be.

 

Danny awoke slowly, frowning at the taste of dead animal in his mouth. For the first time in days he felt rested, having not been disturbed by nurses every few hours. He turned his head to find Steve fast asleep in a chair, his head thrown back in what was sure to turn into a pain in the neck when he awoke. The curtains gently undulated in the small breeze, and Danny could see the moon, brighter than a streetlight, shining into the room, turning the tips of Steve’s dark hair into a sort of halo.

Holding back a snort at the thought of an angelic SEAL who liked to keep hand grenades in the glove compartments of other people’s cars, Danny tried to figure out what day it was. He could recall telling Rachel and then Grace about what happened, downplaying the hell out if it, because the last thing they needed was to be worried about one more thing while they were so far away. He could remember getting instructions when he was ready to leave the hospital, but that was about it. He couldn’t remember even getting to Steve’s house, much less into the bed. It really wasn’t how he’d ever imagined getting into Steve’s bed, but he figured it was the only way he was gonna make it there. He should be used to that by now, settling for what he could get. He heaved a sigh, the pain stabbing at his hip reminding him of the past few days. Slowly sliding off the bed away from Steve, he bit back a groan and limped into the bathroom, taking care of business as quickly as he could. He chanced a brief glance in the mirror and shook his head at the bruising on both sides of his face. He felt nasty, grimy having evidently fallen asleep covered in hospital smell, and figured a shower would get him to 100%, or as close as he could get with his healing injury. It all took much longer than he’d planned, especially shaving, and he was exhausted and shaking by the time he slowly bent to turn off the water.

After cleaning and retaping his wound, he wrapped a towel around his waist, realizing he should’ve taken into account that the only clothes he had with him were the boxers he’d been wearing. Not very excited about putting on dirty clothes, he turned to find a pile neatly folded on the toilet seat. A wave of fondness rolled over him even as he muttered, “Stealthy SEAL.”

“I heard that!”

Grinning, Danny dropped the towel.

“Doing okay in there?”

“Yeah,” Danny grunted, bypassing the boxers for the sweats.

“Need any help?”

“I’m good.”

By the time he’d finished putting on his sweats, t-shirt, and thick socks, he was sweaty and almost felt like taking another shower.

“If you’re not out in another minute, I’m coming in to get you,” Steve warned.

Danny opened the door just as Steve finished talking and found himself face-to-face with the man. “I’m here.” He waited for Steve to step back, but he found himself drawn into his best friend’s stare. Normally, he would have used the moment to make a wiseass comment, but Steve’s gaze felt different, more intense, more meaningful than usual. He felt something rise up inside him, and it took a few seconds to realize that it was hope. Maybe Steve’s eyes held what he continuously saw in the mirror, a longing for more, for a deeper connection.

Eventually, Steve stepped back, clearing his voice. “Back to bed.”

“But –” Danny began, only to stop when he saw the flat screen monitor mounted on the wall. “Is that what I think it is?”

Rubbing a hand against the back of his neck, Steve’s eyes flittered away from Danny’s as he gave a little smile. “I figured it was time I joined the twenty-first century.”

“But you don’t believe in watching TV in bed.” Even as he spoke, Danny hobbled over and gently touched the screen.

“Studies show that it increases the risk of obesity and results in poor sleep quality.”

“Poor sleep quality,” Danny mimicked, sitting on the edge of the bed with a sigh. “That’s what happens when you can’t drown out the cacophony from the waves out there.”

“Cacophony?” Steve raised his eyes. “You say that and make fun of me?”

“It’s not my fault you need a word-of-the-day calendar,” Danny said blithely, looking around. “Where’s the remote?”

Steve sighed and turned away, but not before Danny saw his small smile. Opening up the drawer in his nightstand, he pulled out a long black remote.

Danny had to tamp down the urge to make any one of many highly inappropriate comments involving words like compensation and shortcomings and silently took the remote, studying all of the buttons.

“Don’t ask me how it works. I mounted the TV, and the cable guy came in here yesterday to hook it up, so now it’s all on you.”

“Well,” Danny sighed, “I guess I have the time.” He felt Steve hovering as he limped over to the head of the bed and eased down, his back resting against the headboard. “Speaking of which, what time is it? Actually, what day is it?”

“It’s about eight thirty, Wednesday night,” Steve said with a smile. “You missed lunch; up for some dinner?” Before Danny could say that he wasn’t really hungry, Steve added, “You need to take most of your meds with food anyway.”

Knowing he wasn’t up to a fight that he would only lose anyway, Danny sighed. “Yeah, that’d be good, thanks.” Steve nodded and disappeared, probably thankful to have something to do, Danny thought enviously.

Foolishly, he’d hoped that he’d be able to get back at least on light duty before the end of the week, but it was already Wednesday, so it wasn’t looking too good. His side felt like it was being poked by a hot stick, and he unsuccessfully tried to shift to a more comfortable position. Giving up, he pressed one hand against his side and started to press buttons on the remote with the other. If he couldn’t make his work goal, at least he could get the television figured out before Steve returned.

 

Not wanting to leave Danny alone for too long, Steve quickly heated soup and slapped together some sandwiches, filled a couple of glasses with orange juice, and cut a generous piece of chocolate cake made by one of Chin and Kono’s relatives. He threw the food and Danny’s pills on a tray and practically sprinted up the stairs. Forcing himself to slow right before he walked through the door, Steve relaxed when Danny scowled up at him, the sound of a sports event spilling through the bedroom.

“Who came up with this thing?” He waved around the remote without his usual verve, but still giving it a good college try.

“Can’t get it to work?” Steve egged him on. Obviously, Danny had figured out how to get to turn on and locate one of the sports channels. Granted, he probably hadn’t had had to work that hard, since Steve had made sure to get the special sports package with Danny in mind.

“Of course I got it to work, Steven,” Danny said with that exasperatedly calm tone that sounded like he was talking to a simpleton, “but it shouldn’t be this difficult.”

“What’cha watching?” Steve put the tray over Danny’s lap. He’d made sure to use the large wooden one that rested on its arms so there wouldn’t be a chance of it rubbing against Danny’s wound. Walking around the bed, he sat beside Danny and grabbed the container of pills.

“They’re replaying the Christmas game, Green Bay versus Chicago.”

“Who won?”

“I don’t know; I was unconscious at the time.”

“You could’ve looked it up.”

“When? I haven’t seen my phone since I spoke to Gracie before I got stabbed, your phone is crazy complicated, and for some crazy reason, I didn’t seem to make it to the hospital’s computer lab before I left. Actually, where is my phone? Is it in evidence?”

“It’s downstairs with your other personal effects,” Steve said.

That seemed to settle Danny, and Steve had him eat a few spoonfuls of soup before taking his pills. He didn’t even debate about giving him the pain pills; Danny probably thought he was being stealth, but it was obvious he was still hurting. The fact that Danny didn’t complain about taking them proved that Steve had made the right decision.

Grabbing his sandwich and putting his soup and juice on the end table beside him, Steve relaxed and ate, making sure that Danny ate enough of the food to appease him.

Twenty minutes later, Danny’s head, which had been slowly jerking upright every few seconds, finally gave in to inevitability and fell onto Steve’s shoulder. Right where it belonged.

Steve smiled and continued to watch the game that didn’t interest him whatsoever, just enjoying the feel of Danny resting against him.

 

Danny awoke to a heavy weight over his chest, warmth along his good side. He inhaled deeply, stopping at the flare of pain. Turning his head, he saw Steve, still somewhat intense while he slept, his exhale blowing across Danny’s face like a caress. Danny closed his eyes and reveled in the feel of Steve pressed against him, his arm pinning Danny to the bed. The more he focused on Steve, the less he felt the pain in his side. And slowly he fell back to sleep.

The next time he opened his eyes, Danny was alone, the space beside him cool to the touch. Ignoring the pang of disappointment, he slowly rose and headed to the bathroom. Ten minutes later, he sat on the sofa in the living room, bare feet propped on the coffee table, sleepily watching a news program on television.

“You’re awake,” Steve said, walking in from the lanai, drying off his hair with a large towel.

“Mmmm,” Danny said, taking a large sip of coffee.

“Maybe not,” Steve said, grinning.

Danny answered by taking a large bite of chocolate cake.

“That’s what you’re having for breakfast?”

Danny stared at him over his cup.

“Have you taken your meds?”

Danny blinked at him. He was having a difficult time shaking off the pills’ effects as it was. The last thing he wanted was to take more. He didn’t like feeling so out of control. Besides, he’d spent enough time asleep. He was going to do something active. As soon as he woke up. Just as soon as the cake and coffee kicked in.

Steve sighed, paused, and Danny watched him plan out his day in his mind. It was kind of exhausting just sitting there watching the man’s internal wheels turning. If he were more awake, he knew he’d have to say something about it.

Eventually, Steve smiled, one of those smiles that lit up his eyes and had Danny agreeing to every one of his stupid, dangerous plans.

“Since you’re up, why don’t we go out for breakfast?”

Danny looked at his coffee and cake and looked back up at Steve.

“Something healthy,” Steve added.

Danny repeated his eye’s path.

“Don’t argue with me,” Steve said.

Danny closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the sofa. He felt Steve’s cool palm rest against his forehead and almost moaned at how good it felt. After a few seconds, the back of Steve’s hand ran gently over Danny’s cheek, and he opened his eyes to another of Steve’s intense stares. He thought maybe he saw a question there, and he wanted to answer a resounding, “yes!” but he couldn’t help but wonder if he were projecting in his deluded state.

The next thing he knew, he was dressed and sitting in the passenger side of his car, presumably being driven to an establishment known for its healthy breakfasts. Steve had forced more meds on him, so he simply closed his eyes and fell back asleep. Evidently, coffee and chocolate cake were no match for prescription drugs.

He awakened to the feel of Steve’s hand on his cheek, and he rasped before thinking, “you keep touching me like that, and I won’t be responsible for what I do.” In the few seconds before his mind caught up with his mouth, he felt Steve’s hand still and withdraw, and he kept his eyes closed for another few seconds before looking at the window. “We’re at the diner.”

“They have healthy choices, and I didn’t want to take you too far from home.”

Worried that he’d messed things up, Danny avoided Steve’s eyes and focused on his seatbelt. For not the first time, he wished life contained an undo function, just like the software on his computer. He decided to pretend like it never happened and hope that Steve just chalked it up to the pills.

Steve had to help him out of the Camaro – who knew that one day he’d find it too low to the ground – and they walked silently into the diner.

“Hey, brah, about time you got here,” Chin said, smiling as he sat across from Kono in a booth.

A small inhale of relief, and Danny jerked a thumb behind him, toward Steve. “Blame this one, with his morning twenty-mile swim.” Knowing Steve was rolling his eyes behind him, Danny slid beside Kono.

“How’re you feeling?”

“It’s those damn pills. I’m always sleepy. It makes me loopy, and I hate loopy.”

“Aww, I think loopy Danny’s cute!”

It was Danny’s turn to roll his eyes at Kono.

“I think she was asking about your side,” Chin said.

“It’s okay.”

“Danno,” Steve said, a warning tone underlying his voice.

“But, but – ” Danny said with a glare at his best friend, trying to make it look like he hadn’t finished talking, “it pulls a little now and again. No sudden movements, no chasing criminals down beaches for a bit, and I should be fine.”

“Everyone’s here,” Wendy, their regular waitress said, dropping off water for Danny and Steve. “The usual?”

Chin and Kono nodded as Steve said, “Actually, Wendy, Danny’s gonna have the heart healthy plate today.”

Kono and Chin stilled, looking between the two of them.

“But that’s what you usually eat, Boss,” Kono whispered.

“Danny, did you get hurt worse than we know?” Chin’s voice was filled with worry.

“I’ve already had breakfast,” Danny insisted.

“A cup of that syrupy sludge you call coffee and a big piece of chocolate cake isn’t giving your body what it needs to heal properly.” Steve smiled at Wendy and handed her the menus that had remained unopened on the table.

Kono sat up. “There’s still some cake left?”

“Danno fell asleep before he could eat any of it yesterday,” Steve said.

“He comes into the bedroom with a mound of food –”

“It was soup, sandwiches, and juice,” Steve interjected.

“ – and this huge piece of cake. Then he proceeds to drug me –”

“Those were prescriptions!” Steve couldn’t seem to suppress the laughter in his voice.

“ – so that I fall asleep before I can eat more than three or four sips of soup! I wake up, go downstairs, and I find a large empty spot where my piece of cake would have fit perfectly. You might imagine that instead of putting it back with the rest of the cake, Steve just wrapped it up and set it aside.”

“Danny –”

But Danny was on a roll, and he was enjoying the slow spread of discomfort on Steve’s face. “The strange thing is, Kono and Chin, that I looked everywhere, and I couldn’t find that missing piece of cake.” Everyone was smiling now, except for Steve, who’d put on his I’m-trying-to-look-innocent-but-am-so-so-very-guilty face. And yeah, Danny was gonna have to come up with a shorter name for that one. “I’m sure that Steve wouldn’t have thrown away such a moist, delectable piece of cake, but it’s way too unhealthy for him to sit there and eat it. Whatever happened to that piece of cake, Steven?” Danny threw out his winningest smile.

Steve glared back.

After a few seconds, Steve muttered.

“What was that?” Danny asked, although he’d heard the words. Leaning over the table until a pain reminded him of recent events, he threw Steve a challenging look and cupped an ear. “Didn’t quite catch that.”

“I said that I ate it,” Steve said, enunciating each word. “You guys know I don’t eat many sweets, but Danny was sleeping, and the cake was just sitting there, so I thought I’d try a taste.” He shrugged. “Turns out, it was really good.”

“Thank you,” Danny said expansively, sitting back in his seat.

“Glad I could help,” the sarcasm in Steve’s voice was belied by his fond smile.

A wave of fatigue and pain washed over Danny, and he pressed a hand lightly over his side as Kono and Chin measured the baking talents of their various relatives. He could feel Steve’s concern wash over him and decided not to feel guilty at enjoying its warmth.

Wendy appeared at the table, handing out the platters and left with a promise to return to refill their glasses.

Danny made no move to eat as he stared at his egg whites and fruit compote.

“That looks good,” Kono said, obviously trying to be encouraging as she poured syrup over her pile of banana pancakes and bacon.

Danny’s attention dragged from Kono’s plate to Chin’s as Chin added, “They only use seasonal fruit.” He ate some of his creamy looking scrambled eggs.

“Just eat,” Steve said, pointing to Danny’s plate with his fork.

Danny picked up his own fork. He just wasn’t hungry. He’d done well to down a couple of sips of coffee and two bites of the cake at home, but at least those two things were desirable. He looked over at Kono. “I’ll pay you a thousand dollars for half of your pancakes.”

“Danny,” Kono said, laughing, “you don’t have a thousand dollars.”

“I might have a chicklet or something,” he said, shoving a hand in his pocket, the adjustment making him pause, eyes closed, until the pain receded.

Steve leaned over the table, his eyes intense. “You okay?”

“Fine,” Danny said, although the wonderful thought of going back to Steve’s house and falling asleep on his comfortable bed almost made Danny want to cry.

“Pack it up,” Steve ordered, waving at Wendy and miming the need for to-go containers and the check. “We’re heading to my place. It was too soon for you to go out. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Danny allowed Steve to pack up his food and manhandle him into the car, Kono and Chin following them to Steve’s house. He waved away help as he managed to pull himself out of the Camero and limp inside, heading straight up the stairs. He knew Steve would follow with his pain pills, which he would now take gratefully.

 

Steve tried not to hover; he really did. He didn’t insist that Kono move over at the diner so Steve could sit beside Danny, although sitting across from him actually ended up letting him inspect every wince, every pained breath. He did make the call to take everything home, but he didn’t help Danny in or out of the Camaro and even let him climb the steps to the bedroom by himself. Of course, he did watch to make sure that Danny’d made it to the room safely, worried that Danny went upstairs without protest.

He grabbed Danny’s pills and a bottle of water and led the way upstairs. The cousins followed him, Chin sitting in the chair, Kono flopping down at the foot of the bed as Danny limped into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, Danny padded back into the room and silently took the pills Steve handed him, more proof that he needed the rest.

“The new TV looks great,” Kono said, dimpling at Danny. “I bet you were surprised.”

“Grateful,” Danny muttered, sliding underneath the covers. “I thought I was going to have to choose between being entertained and being comfortable.” He tossed Kono the remote.

“Hey,” Steve complained as he sat beside Danny. “My sofa’s comfortable.”

“Try sleeping on it for a few days and get back to me,” Danny muttered. He curled up, his head on Steve’s lap, and closed his eyes.

Putting his container to the side, Steve absently ran his fingers through Danny’s hair. He pulled out a piece of turkey bacon from his container and looked up to find Kono and Chin staring at him. “What?”

“So, he’s sleeping in your bed,” Kono said.

“It’s the most comfortable place in the house,” Steve explained.

Chin raised an eyebrow; Kono looked disappointed.

Exasperated, Steve repeated, “What?!”

“I just thought that after the whole – ” she made a stabbing motion toward her side, “ – that you two would have, you know.”

“You know,” Steve repeated slowly.

“Yeah, you know, jumped on each other by now.” Losing patience, she tossed the remote on the bed. “Look, it’s obvious how you two feel about each other, and he’s right here in your bed.”

Steve blinked and possibly sputtered for a few seconds. Potential replies fluttered through his head: he could deny it, he could pretend he didn’t know what she was talking about and hope that she’d just let it go, he could just shut her down. But he found he didn’t want to do any of those things. Kono and Chin were ohana. “He’s hurt,” was all he managed.

“Then jump on him gently,” Kono advised, taking a bite of her pancakes.

“Does he know how you feel?” Chin asked.

Steve shook his head.

“Then he’s about the only one,” Chin muttered. He shoved some eggs in his mouth.

Kono decided to tap in. “Just so you know, it’s obvious he feels the same way.”

Chin nodded.

Steve couldn’t stop the small smile from spreading across his face, hope bolstered by their words. When Catherine advised him, she could only tell him about his feelings, not Danny’s. But Kono and Chin knew both of them and were just as invested in their family. They both looked too sure for Steve not to have faith.

Kono picked up the remote and managed to figure out how to turn on the television, although they ended up stuck watching curling for the next hour. Turned out, it was a lot more engaging than they’d thought, and by the end of the game, both Chin and Steve owned a bragging Kono five bucks each.

After the game, Kono stood, stretching, and looked at Chin. “We should probably get started.”

Chin quietly gathered the trash, stopping Steve when he tried to slide away from Danny without awakening the injured man. “Stay there; keep him comfortable. We can handle this.”

“You sure?”

“You’ve made us go over this plan more than we do our ops,” Kono teased. “We got this.” She handed him the remote. “Have fun.”

Steve looked over the device, wondering how he could operate assorted military and civilian vehicles and equipment but had no idea how to even begin to use the device in his hand. The mute button worked, so he plunked the remote beside him, reaching gently for the thriller he’d picked up at the hospital gift shop. He wasn’t really a fiction kind of guy, but he finished what he started, including a story with a plot that he could’ve foiled in less than a day.

Less than an hour of listening to the goings-on downstairs, Steve felt Danny begin to stir. He rubbed his eyes. “Everyone ate already?”

“Yep,” Steve said, placing a hand on Danny’s cheek, enjoying the scratchy stubble against his palm. “How’re you feeling? Still loopy?”

“Not much,” Danny said, rolling onto his back and slowly pulling himself into a seated position. “What’d I miss?”

“A surprisingly good curling match, actually,” Steve said.

Danny ran a hand through his hair. “How much did Kono win?”

“What makes you think –” Steve sighed at Danny’s knowing look. “Five bucks each.” He had to smile at Danny’s chuckle. 

“So.” Danny said, squinting at him. “What’s wrong?”

Steve wanted to have the conversation – actually, he would’ve preferred to bypass the conversation entirely and just have Danny know what he wanted to say – but it wasn’t the time. Before he could answer, he heard the front door open.

“Someone’s in the house,” Danny whispered, eyes automatically going to the nightstand beside Steve. “Please tell me that you have more than one gun in there.”

Steve couldn’t help but laugh. “Look who’s all gung ho about shooting people.”

“I doubt that anyone accidentally breaks into your house,” Danny shot back, “which means that knowing our luck, you have five sets of ninjas down there.”

“Five sets? Really?”

Danny shrugged, the ends of his mouth struggling not to lift. “Okay, that might be going a bit overboard – but only slightly. Where’s your phone? We should call 911 or at the very least Chin and Kono.”

“We don’t need to call ‘em.” Steve stood, gently helping Danny stand. “You’re my backup.”

Sighing, Danny absently pressed gently against his side. “More like your fall down.” He balked at another noise, this time a soft scraping sound. “Seriously. Get your gun.”

Steve pressed his hands against Danny’s cheeks, forcing the smaller man to look at him. For a second, Steve forgot what he was going to say, staring into the eyes of the man he’d thought he was going to lose forever. Suddenly, he wanted to change his mind about the whole project and put Danny right back into bed.

“Babe?”

Steve blinked, reminding himself of the plan. “Do you trust me?” Danny rolled his eyes, making Steve grin. “Let’s go downstairs.”

“Fine,” Danny sighed. “Once more into the breach.”

Steve made sure he came down the stairs first to catch Danny if he fell and to be able to see his face when he realized – 

“Mele Kalikimaka!”

Steve couldn’t suppress his smile as he slowly led an amazed Danny down the stairs to a crowd of ohana. “I think this is the first time you’ve ever been struck silent.”

“There was this one time, in the eighties, but that’s a long story,” Danny said, grinning. “What is this?”

“You still don’t know enough Hawaiian, brah,” Kamekona said, giving him a gentle hug. “Mele Kalikimaka means –”

“I know what it means,” Danny said, patting the man on the shoulder. “Just like I also know that Christmas has come and gone.”

“It doesn’t count if you’re in the hospital,” Chin added, handing Malia a small object that she put on a tree.

“Wait – is that a Christmas tree?” Danny walked toward it, looking closely.

“This is, in fact, a spruce tree, although pine and fir trees are also commonly used during the holidays. Christmas trees used to be decorated with such food as apples, nuts, and dates; however, people began using candles in the 18th century that were then replaced with lights once electricity was invented and became customary in households.” Max absently pushed his glasses up his nose.

“Thank you, Max, for that educational speech,” Danny said absently, walking closer to it and staring deeper inside.

Steve frowned, giving the tree a once-over. “What’s wrong?”

“Just looking for hidden pineapples or palm trees,” Danny said, grinning. He spread out his hands toward the tree. “I don’t know what to say. This, just, this means a lot.”

“I know it’s not the same without Grace,” Kono said. “But that’ll just give us an excuse to do it again.”

After making sure Danny was comfortable on the sofa, Steve sat beside him, close enough to feel Danny’s warmth along the entire side of his body. He allowed himself to relax, enjoying the bantering going on around him. Kamekona seemed to have brought what food Chin and Kono didn’t, and Steve knew he’d be dealing with the leftovers for days. Although he complained about pretty much everything, Danny couldn’t seem to keep the smile off his face, which meant that Steve knew he had a pretty large one on his own. It didn’t matter that they were late; they were celebrating Christmas together.

The ringing of his watch alarm had him rising.

“Where’re you going?” Danny asked, hand on his thigh. “You’re not going to leave me alone with these crazy people, are you?”

Briefly rubbing his hand over Danny’s, Steve said, “I’ll be right back.”

 

Danny was exhausted. But he was also happy, and he figured the saying was true: he could always sleep when he was dead. The pain in his side was a mere ache thanks to the drugs Steve kept doping him up with, but he wasn’t about to complain. Well, not about that at least. He’d supervised as they finished decorating the tree – didn’t that beat all, an actual Christmas tree in Steve’s house – and only managed to take a bite or so out of the dishes everyone kept putting in front of him. But he was having a terrific time, just being around everyone. The only thing that could’ve made his day complete was if he’d had Grace with him.

Steve returned, open laptop in his arms.

“What’cha got there, Babe?” He couldn’t imagine what use Steve could have with a computer… his eyes narrowed as he realized that Kono wasn’t looking at him as she bit her lip and tried not to smile. Chin was whispering something to Malia and Kamekona that had them both smiling as well. He looked back at Steve, at the happiness in his face, and he didn’t want to hope… “Turn the screen around.”

Returning to his place beside Danny, Steve turned the monitor around, and happiness seemed to surge inside of Danny when he saw Grace smiling back at him. Suddenly all that fatigue, the pain, just disappeared.

“Mele Kalikimaka, Danno!”

“Mele Kalikimaka, Monkey,” Danny said, fingers touching the screen. He ignored Kamekona’s “Hey, little bruddah knows how to say it after all!” and concentrated on his not-so-private conversation with his daughter.

Grace regaled him with stories involving her aunts and uncles and cousins and complained once again about being unable to see her grandmother. Eventually, she wound down and asked, “Are you hurt very bad?”

“Me? Naw,” Danny said, smiling. “The doctors wouldn’t have let me out of the hospital otherwise. And see? I’m at Steve’s house.” Danny slowly changed his posture as Steve panned the laptop around the room to choruses of greetings for the littlest member of their ohana. By the time Steve brought the monitor back to Danny, his and Danny’s sides were once again pressed against each other. Danny found that he felt more settled like that, and a glance at Steve’s face showed he didn’t mind.

“Ask your mom to call me when she gets a chance, okay?” Danny asked.

“I will! I love you!”

“Danno loves you more.”

Steve put the computer on his lap, winking at Grace and saying his goodbye before clicking on the keyboard and closing the computer. He gave Danny a small, almost bashful grin.

Danny almost felt like he couldn’t contain how much he loved this man. He rubbed his hand over the one Steve had on the computer and said, “Babe, that was just, just amazing.” He was awarded with another smile, Steve’s eyes twinkling happily at him.

“When are we getting to the good stuff?” Kamekona asked, reminding Danny about the others in the room.

“This wasn’t the good stuff?”

“We haven’t opened the presents yet,” Malia said, her eyes glancing at the hand he had absently pressed against his side.

“I don’t have my presents,” Danny protested, the idea of opening up gifts for him without being able to give some in return going against every bit of the way he was raised.

“We got you,” Kono said. “Grace told us where to look in your place.”

Danny rolled his eyes. “Great. Now I’m gonna have to find new places to hide her presents.” He threw Steve an accusing glance.

“What? How can you blame me?”

“Haven’t you realized yet that it’s always your fault? From now on, I’m hiding Grace’s presents at your house.” He caught a look on Steve’s face, but it disappeared before Danny could figure out which one it was.

Presents were distributed around, Kono loving the basket filled with surf goodies hand picked by Grace, Chin and Malia sharing a chair to look over the wedding pictures Grace had taken and Danny had gotten bound for them, Kamekona fascinated with the strange piece of sculpture that Grace had sworn he would love, Max besotted with the “Star Wars” item that Kono had helped Grace pick out over the internet.

Danny sat, pile of unopened presents at his feet, simply enjoying watching his friends opening their gifts.

“Aren’t you going to open yours?” Steve asked, the rumble of his voice making Danny realize that at some point, he’d rested his head on Steve’s shoulder.

Pushing himself upright, he suppressed a painful hiss and focused on the presents. “Guess I must’ve zoned out there for a second.”

“Maybe this was all too soon,” Steve said, worry in his voice. “Do you want another pill? I can get Malia –”

“Shhh. My turn to talk.” Danny ignored Steve’s eye roll. “You, my friend, are a pain in the ass when it comes to presents. What do you get the SEAL who has everything?”

“I don’t need anything,” Steve said, and for an instant, Danny could see the little boy who stopped expecting surprises.

Squelching the urge to jump into the afterlife and bitch slap John McGarrett, Danny said quickly, “but fortunately for you, Gracie and I are the tag-team champions of gifting, as you can see.” He tilted his head toward the others. “Kono?”

Kono looked up from some sort of surfboard waxing stuff and grinned. “You ready?”

“Yep.”

Putting her stuff down, Kono left the room.

“Danny – ”

“Seriously, stop talking. Now, I could’ve gotten you bullets or some sort of weaponry, but let’s face it. You can pretty much get whatever over-the-top crap you want and have the State of Hawaii foot the bill. Besides, it just doesn’t seem right to encourage your crazy during the holidays.” Steve laughed with the others and opened his mouth to speak, but Danny cut him off before he even began. “But I think we’ve come upon something that you will like but that you won’t hopefully use to kill anyone.”

Kono stepped back into the room, the painting Danny had bought in her hands with a red bow on the corner.

Steve stood and took it from her, his face filled with such wonder and happiness that it made Danny almost ache to look at him. “Danno, I don’t know what – this is – I can’t.”

“Well said,” Chin called out, making everyone laugh.

“That’s from me,” Danny said. “Grace has her own present for you. She told me on the phone yesterday that you could open it without her.”

Max handed over a wrapped box, and Steve reluctantly relinquished the picture to Kono, sitting back down. He started to pick at the tape on the corner, and Danny didn’t even try to hold back his laugh. “What’re you going to do, reuse the wrapping paper next year? Just tear the damn thing.”

Steve shot him a look, one that if he didn’t know better, was more than a little flirty. “Some things are worth taking your time.” Okay, so maybe he did know better. After a moment, though, Steve tore the paper and stared at the box. “It’s one of those models of the USS Missouri. The guy at the store said that Grace was old enough to be able to help you put it together.” Steve turned those big doe eyes on Danny, who had to remind himself that Steve was just his partner, just his best friend. “Don’t look at me like that. It was all Grace.”

Steve looked down again at the box, turning it around in his hands. Danny could tell that the gift had affected him deeply. He sat back, happiness marred by the twinge in his side. He caught Malia’s rise aborted by Chin’s pulling her back into his lap and silently thanked his friend. Sure, he was flagging, and his side was beginning to hurt a little more, but he wasn’t ready to let this go, any of it. He looked around himself and realized that Grace’s absence aside, this was as close to contentment as he’d felt since… he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d really felt as though he might actually have more to keep him on this sun baked rock than his daughter.

Turned out, he really hadn’t needed the Waikoloa Beach Resort to have a real Christmas after all.

 

Steve felt his throat tighten as he held Grace’s present in his hands. He could remember wanting to do things like this with his dad but never being brave enough to ask. And here was Grace growing up so secure in the love that surrounded her that being refused never even occurred to her. He felt grateful and honored that she’d want to take on a project like that with him.

They’d had some dinner tray tables when he was growing up, and he made a note to track down one to use as a safe place for it when they weren’t actively putting it together. He read the contents, figuring out what items he needed to buy before Grace’s return so they’d be ready to start working on it the next time she came over.

“Boss?” Kono’s voice broke into his thoughts, and he looked up to find everyone smiling at him.

“You’ll have plenty of time to get whatever you need before she gets back,” Danny said, and Steve could see the understanding in his eyes.

“Boss?” Kono asked again, and he finally remembered.

“You aren’t the easiest to shop for either,” he said, turning to face his best friend, “and I didn’t have Grace to lean on for help.” He grinned at Danny’s sputter, reaching behind the sofa to carefully bring out his gift wrapped in brown paper.

Danny smiled at him, unwrapping the 10 by 15 inch piece to find a painting of him and Grace looking out with smiles on their faces.

After a few seconds, Steve started to get nervous; Danny was never this silent or still. “It’s small enough that you don’t need a lot of space to put it up.” He was hoping that it would end up on one of his own walls soon enough, but he didn’t want Danny to feel obligated. “I stole a couple of pictures of the two of you and gave to the artist. She’s local, and she’s really good…” He forced himself to stop talking.

Danny swallowed and pressed a fist against his thigh as he stared at the painting. “This is quite possibly the best gift that has ever been given in the history of Christmas presents.” Steve let out a silent sigh of relief as Danny turned the painting around to show everyone. “Look at that angel, immortalized on canvas.”

“If you’d put me in there with her, you could’ve had two angels,” Kamekona said.

“Yeah, that’s all I need, a picture of you in my place,” Danny muttered, turning the painting back around and staring at it, small smile on his face.

Steve’s eyes caught Chin’s for a moment, and they nodded to each other, both happy to be with the ones they loved.

He caught Danny stifling a yawn, and clapped his hands on his thighs. “This has been great, but Doctor Malajandro will kill me if Danny’s not bright eyed and bushy tailed for his appointment tomorrow.”

Everyone said their goodbyes, cleaning up and leaving fairly quickly. Steve returned from seeing everyone out to find Danny trying to rise from the sofa. “Why didn’t you just wait for me?”

“I’m a grown man, Steven. I’ve been getting up from sofas by myself for quite a few years now.”

“You haven’t been out of the hospital for 72 hours. You looking to go back in?”

“Speaking of which, what’s up between you and Malajandro? Did you blow up his house or something?”

Steve shrugged, more focused on Danny’s slow ascent to the bedroom than the conversation. “He seemed to take one look at me and think I was going to somehow cause you to have a setback or something.”

“He could probably see through that charming façade you present to the world to that dangerous man underneath.” Danny yawned again and went to sit on the edge of the bed.

“No you don’t,” Steve warned, pulling him back up gently. “The last time you sat down there, you went to sleep. Let’s just get you into bed.” Stiffening slightly at his words, Steve helped Danny into a pair of soft sweatpants and a comfortable t-shirt before pulling back the blankets. He turned to find Danny leaning against the wall staring at him, and not for the first time, he wished he could read Danny’s expressions as well as Danny professed to be able to read his. “You need a pain pill?”

“Not yet. I seem to recall a conversation we’re supposed to have, and I want to be awake for it.” He slowly slid into bed, sitting against the headboard, blankets covering his lap. He patted the bed, and Steve sat. “So.” He waited patiently.

“So.” Steve wasn’t sure how one went about telling his partner that he’d fallen for him and wanted him to stay in his life – and his bed – forever. Where did he start? “I’ve been meaning to talk to you… I figured out a few things over Christmas…” Unable to just sit there, Steve stood and started pacing.

“Babe,” Danny said, looking concerned. “Just spit it out. What do you need?”

“You,” Steve blurted, standing in front of Danny, his hands outspread. “I need you, Danny.”

“You have me.”

“No.” Steve ran a hand over his face. “I want you as my partner in 5-0. I need you in my life, in my… arms. In my bed.”

Danny’s eyes brightened as he smiled so sweetly that it took Steve’s breath away. He reached out. “I meant what I said. You have me.”

Steve frowned. It all seemed too easy. Maybe Danny was too tired to really know what he was saying. Maybe –

Danny rolled his eyes. “Are you just going to leave me hanging here? I know exactly what I’m saying. I’m all in. You got me? All in.” His eyes clouded, his arm lowering. “Maybe I’m the one reading this wrong. I might not be an only child, but I’m not good at sharing.”

“Just you and me,” Steve quickly assured him.

Danny raised his hand again. “Then why are you so damn far away?”

Steve didn’t need any more encouragement, ignoring the hand and crawling on the bed toward Danny. Handshakes were for friends. What he had in mind was a little more intimate. Bracing himself on his arms, he bent his head and took Danny’s lips, and in that one moment, he knew life wasn’t going to be the same.

And for once, he was looking forward to the changes.

 

Danny wasn’t sure what had gotten into Steve, but he wasn’t going to complain. The moment he realized what Steve had been trying to say, he felt a hole, one he never even knew existed, start to fill inside. Steve was like this tornado, sweeping in and creating havoc wherever he went, and Danny knew that he wanted to be the one at Steve’s side. Forever.

The End


End file.
